The Married Life
by somethinprettty
Summary: (HIATUS) AU, sequel to The Dating Game: "I want to have my sexy wife all to myself…" Damon mumbled, his bottom lip extending into a pout. Elena laughed lightly and leaned in to kiss her husband.
1. It Is What It Is

**SEQUEL TO: THE DATING GAME **

**(Synopsis of TDG: Stefan and Elena broke up after Jenna's funeral, causing him to leave town with Katherine. In the interim, Damon and Elena grew closer as friends until one day he asked her out on a date. A month after their date, Elena fearfully admits to Bonnie and Caroline that she thinks she's falling in love with Damon. Unbeknownst to Elena, he overhears this exchange and decides to surprise her by taking her on a private-jet to an anonymous location. Eventually, his private jet lands them in New York; leaving them to stay in his private penthouse overlooking New York City. They go out on another date to which Elena reveals she never slept with Stefan before. Later that night, Damon admits to Elena that he took away her memory when he first told her he loved her. She runs away to the helicopter pad and tearfully demands to give her memory back. He does so and after a heated discussion; they make love. When they return – Elena finds Stefan in her bedroom. After an argument, to which Damon was listening outside her bedroom door, Stefan kisses her. Assuming Elena would choose Stefan, Damon ran off and had a one-night-stand with Andie. After a dream-sequence with Rose, he mans up and tells Elena the truth who then runs away heartbroken. Just as the two were about to reconcile, Elena winds up dead with vampire blood in her system. One thing leads to another, "The Dating Game" ending with Damon and Elena's honeymoon in Paris).**

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Damon asked as he took another swig from his tumbler. Elena rolled her eyes as she sauntered into the living room, a bin of toys in her arms. She laughed lightly and set the toys on the ground and placed her hands on her hips, her smile playful.

"Because Bonnie and Jeremy deserve some time off," Elena reminded him. Damon rolled his eyes and blurred over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. She giggled playfully and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I told you that you didn't have to stick around if you didn't want to. You could hang out with Stefan or Alaric if you wanted to…"

"I _want _to have my sexy wife all to myself…" Damon mumbled, his bottom lip extending into a pout. Elena laughed lightly and leaned in to kiss her husband on his pouted lip. He quickly returned her advances, and soon enough they were in full make out mode on the couch. Their moment was short-lived by the ringing of the doorbell. Elena laughed on Damon's lips before pulling away and blurring over to the front door.

Standing on the other side, all smiles was Jeremy with Elena's ten month old niece, Arianna. A wide smile spread across Elena's face as she automatically extended her arms towards Arianna, whose chubby arms were now reaching for her aunt. Elena giggled in awe at the baby's pink flowery dress and the bow in her brown curls.

"It's a good thing I don't like hellos," Jeremy mumbled. Elena let out a small laugh and moved Arianna to one hip to wrap her arm around her brother. He rolled his eyes and half-heartedly returned Elena's hug. "It's alright, I understand, I get distracted by her beauty too…" Jeremy cooed, playing with Arianna's outstretched hand.

"So, is this the weekend?" Elena asked excitedly. Jeremy rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest, a smirk on his lips.

"Maybe," he told his sister. "It has to be the right moment – and I have to make sure that she doesn't see it coming…" Jeremy explained. Elena laughed and planted a light kiss on Arianna's temple. Jeremy was planning on proposing to his long-time girlfriend and Elena's best friend, Bonnie this weekend. It was their three year anniversary of dating so he's taking her on a romantic weekend to Florida, leaving Arianna in Damon and Elena's care.

"Speaking of Judgey – where is she?" Damon asked as he sauntered out from the living room, taking his regular stance behind Elena. Jeremy rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Caroline needed her for something…" Jeremy shrugged lightly. "Anyways, I better get going. I still have some things I need to pick up before we hit the road." Elena nodded and hugged her brother goodbye while Jeremy kissed his daughter on the forehead and headed off towards the car. Arianna squealed in delight when Jeremy was out of sight, causing Damon to erupt in a fit of laughter.

"See – even the squirt knows when she's with cool Uncle D!" he teased while he set Arianna's diaper bag down by the door. Elena smiled widely as she sat down on the couch; Arianna snuggled comfortably in her arms.

"_And me_," Elena reminded him. He rolled his eyes playfully and leaned over to kiss Elena on the cheek. Damon and Elena have been married for five months so far; and both Damon and Elena loved every minute of it. "I wonder what could be so important that Bonnie would leave Jeremy to drop of Arianna just to talk to Caroline?" Elena wondered aloud while Damon plopped down on the couch beside Elena, draping his arm around her shoulders.

"Call Barbie," Damon suggested. Elena narrowed her eyes in a mixture of confusion and the slightest bit of hurt. _What would be so important that Bonnie could tell Caroline but not her? _Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Damon let out a frustrated sigh but blurred over to the door and reluctantly answered it.

"Speak of the devil…" Damon announced. Elena's forehead furrowed together in confusion while Caroline flipped her blonde hair and walked around Damon, straight into the Boarding House. "Come on in," he muttered sarcastically as he shut the door behind the blonde.

"I am _freaking_ out right now!" Caroline announced, flopping down in one of the arm chairs. Elena narrowed her eyes in confusion while she gently rocked back and forth, the baby falling into a deep sleep. "Okay so Tyler and I were watching The Notebook, and then Tyler starts talking about the future…like we have one? How insensitive is that? And then Matt called and said he wants to talk, what do you think that means?"

Elena exchanged a confused look with Damon, who was suppressing a smirk. "I'm gonna take a shot in the dark here and say that he wants to talk…" Damon suggested.

"_Not _helping!" Caroline spat. "I mean – why would he wanna talk? What if he wants me back? Tyler would _freak_ out! I've dealt with enough boy drama – and I'm finally happy but, what kind of future can I have with Tyler? He's a werewolf, I'm a vampire…it's not so easy to have forever with someone whose mortal. And then there's Matt who I could probably have eternity with if he'd willingly drink my blood, and I just…ugh! Leave it to The Notebook to leave me all moody and confused…"

"Don't you think you're making too big of a deal out of this?" Elena asked gently.

"No!" Caroline quickly said. "Making a big deal out of this would be like…not what I'm doing. I'm having a mid-life crisis!" Damon ran his hand through his hair, a playfully amused expression on his face. "I was talking to Bonnie earlier and she has her own stuff to deal with so I thought I'd come over here and leave you to help me with my problems," Caroline offered.

"Yay…" Elena muttered sarcastically, smiling at the sleeping form in her arms.

"Maybe this is all we'll get, Elena…" Caroline suggested. Elena turned away from her niece, her eyes now on her best friend who was currently wearing a hole in the floor with all the incessant pacing. "Maybe you and I weren't meant to be parents – just really, really…cool…aunts."

"I don't think any of us were meant to do or be anything…I think that life just stepped in."

"This conversation is getting too…One Tree Hill for my taste," Damon said awkwardly as he stood up. "I'm going to go over to Ric's place; and if he really wants to – I'll even let him buy me a drink." Damon leaned over and kissed Elena on the top of the head and Caroline watched as Elena closed her eyes in contentment, and then watched just as quickly while her smile faded when Damon blurred out the door.

"You two are so in love it's actually painful to watch" Caroline commented as she sunk back down onto the armchair. "Why can't I have that? Why can't I have such a simple love?" Elena couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh at the thought that what she and Damon have is simple. It's anything but. "I mean I know that Damon was a first, second and third rate jack ass when you met him but now – I don't think I've seen a more devoted husband, and that's not just because my dad hid his sexuality from my mother and then _surprised_ us when he decided that life with his boyfriend was better than life with his wife and daughter…" she began to ramble. "Anyways, what I'm saying is that Damon loves you – he would literally lay it _all_ down on the line for you if he could, and why can't I have that?"

"Care, Tyler loves you – why isn't that enough?" Elena asked quietly while she set Arianna down in the crib occupying the corner of the living room.

"That's just it, Elena – it is enough. It's _more_ than enough, but he's a werewolf. How can I spend forever with someone without making them some sort of mutant hybrid?"

"Have you talked to Tyler about it?"

"No," Caroline admitted. It wasn't until she sniffled that Elena noticed the tears brimming over her blue eyes. Elena blurred across the room and sat on the edge of the coffee table across from Caroline. "I'm scared…" Caroline tearfully admitted.

"Scared of what?" Elena pressed, her brown eyes sympathetic.

"That what he feels for me isn't enough to last forever," Caroline whispered. Elena tilted her head sympathetically, offering her friend a small smile. "I love him…_so much_, Elena. But nobody wants this life, not if they can help it."

"Maybe not but if this life with the one you loved is the chance you're willing to take, forever isn't the worst thing to happen to you and someone you love."

Caroline nodded reluctantly in an attempt to relax a little bit. She let out a small laugh as she brought her hand up to wipe a stray tear away. "I'm sorry for driving your husband off," Caroline apologized. Elena laughed with her best friend while she offered the blonde a tissue box. Elena shrugged lightly, her straight brown hair falling past her shoulders.

"Don't worry about it – he was gonna go out anyway; it's Thursday – it's Damon and Ric time," Elena explained thoughtfully. "Hey, how about you stay a little while? You can spend a few hours with Arianna and I, we'll order some pizza and watch a movie…" Elena suggested happily. Caroline pondered the invitation for a moment before ultimately agreeing.


	2. Stand By Me

"Is Barbie gone?" Damon asked as he sauntered into the Boarding House. Elena set down the book she was reading and nodded yes. Damon immediately blurred across the room and lifted Elena up off the floor. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck as he kissed her fiercely.

It never ceased to amaze Elena how much she loved Damon. How much she wanted to give him, even if her love was all she had. It never ceased to amaze Damon how much he'd give up for Elena – how he would literally do anything to see her smile.

They stayed like that for a while, Damon standing while holding Elena, kissing each other senseless, whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears. Their kiss would have no doubt escalated to more until a small cry interrupted their thoughts. Elena laughed lightly and brushed her lips against Damon's lightly and untangled herself from Damon's embrace.

Moments later, Elena came walking down the stairs with Arianna in her arms – her brown eyes red from crying and her cheeks flushed. The bow in her hair was dangling awkwardly to one side, the rest of her hair sticking up in all directions. A wide smile was on Elena's face as she cooed at her niece, while Damon watched awkwardly from the living room. In a way, he resented Jeremy. He resented Jeremy for being able to give the woman he loves a family – while it's because of Damon that Elena is frozen at the ripe age of eighteen.

Elena was born to be a mother – Damon knew that, and every time Damon saw the way Elena's face lit up with happiness when she was with Arianna, he died a little inside because he couldn't give Elena that. His thoughts were interrupted by a small cry emanating throughout the Boarding House. Elena gently rocked Arianna on her shoulder in an attempt to soothe the crying baby. "I think someone's hungry," she decided after a few minutes. Elena walked into the living room and extended her arms out to Damon.

"What are you doing?" he asked confused as he folded his arms across his chest defensively. Elena rolled her eyes, a playful smile on her face.

"I have to get her bottle ready, can you hold her?" Elena pressed. Damon's eyes widened at the look of the crying baby in Elena's arms. He shook his head reluctantly – his eyes on Arianna like she was a mutant child. "Damon! She won't bite!" Elena continued.

"You don't know that…" Damon complained awkwardly. Elena's eyes narrowed as she repositioned Arianna on her hip, her hand occupying her other one.

"Either you take Arianna while I prepare a bottle or you can say goodbye to Damon and Elena sexy-time for a whole week…" she threatened. Damon's eyes widened out of fear as he quickly snatched the baby from Elena's grasp. "That's what I thought," she mumbled as she stalked off towards the kitchen.

Damon stood awkwardly in the living room with Arianna in his arms when he noticed a butterfly on the window. Arianna's arms immediately reached out, her eyes wide with what he perceived as excitement and curiosity.

"It's a butterfly…" Damon whispered. Arianna began to squirm in his arms when he walked over to the window. Close enough to the glass, Arianna stretched out her chubby arm to press her hand against the spot the butterfly was touching.

"Buuuuu…" Arianna gurgled, a small laugh emanating from her mouth. Damon couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh at the baby's attempt to speak.

"Your aunt is a hard bargainer…" Damon whispered in the baby's ear. "She threatened me," Damon said. Arianna's face turned into a scowl, causing Damon to laugh. "I know, right? How rude…I guess it wasn't too much of a bargain, you're a pretty cool kid…" he mumbled. He lifted the baby up to get a better look at her face – but got a better look at something else.

"Gaahh!" Damon let out a frustrated groan. "Elena?" Damon called. He was still holding Arianna out, his arms extended as her chubby arms were now reaching for him – a laugh instead of a cry emanating from her mouth. "Just when I thought we could be friends…" he mumbled. Elena came out with the bottle in her hand, an amused smile on her face as she noticed the spit-up dripping from her husband's face.

"Here," she offered helpfully as she extended her arms for the baby. Arianna willingly went to her aunt's arms as Elena sat down on the armchair and positioned her niece on her lap to feed her.

"That thing is a menace," Damon accused as he pointed at the baby in his wife's arms. Elena rolled her eyes playfully and admired the baby in her arms.

"She's beautiful," Elena cooed. "And it's just a little spit up, I think you're overreacting…" she commented as Damon took off his shirt and wiped his face. "Put that shirt in the laundry room, it'll be as good as new." Elena looked down at Arianna who was now finished her bottle.

Elena set the plastic on the coffee table and put the tea-towel on her shoulder before holding Arianna to her shoulder. After a burp escaped from Arianna's small lips, an entirely different smell was wafting from the baby. "I swear, this baby is the key to the apocalypse…" he mumbled as Arianna let out a small cry.

"It's okay, baby…shh…" Elena cooed. "Damon? Can you pass me that diaper bag?" she asked, gesturing towards the bag by the door. Damon nodded and gave Elena the diaper bag.

"Oh my god – what _is _that?" Damon asked, tucking his nose underneath his shirt. Elena rolled her eyes and grabbed the baby wipes from the bag. "That can't be normal…" he mumbled.

"Shut up!" Elena snapped. "It's just a little poop…" Elena reminded him. "Can you get rid of this please?" Elena asked, holding the dirty diaper out to Damon. His eyes widened at the white and brown object his wife was dangling in front of him. He held up his index finger to Elena before flashing into the kitchen and back to the living room, a pair of tongs in his hands. "Are you kidding me?" she asked rhetorically as he picked up the diaper with the tongs.

…

"How's my girl?" Bonnie cooed as she and Jeremy picked Arianna up from the Boarding House two days later. Elena reluctantly handed her niece back into her best friend's waiting arms while Jeremy wrapped his arms around his sister and reluctantly shook Damon's hands.

"How was your trip?" Elena asked, a smile on her face as she gauged Bonnie's reaction. Bonnie looked to Jeremy, a coy smile on her face as she repositioned Arianna on her right hip to show off her left hand – now occupied by a diamond ring. "Oh my god, congratulations!" Elena said excitedly, as she wrapped her arms gently around Bonnie and Arianna. "Have you guys set a date?"

"That's where it gets tricky. I want to take time and plan everything nicely but I don't want to look like a beached whale at my wedding," Bonnie said as she bit her lip after the last point. Elena's eyes widened and immediately darted to Bonnie's stomach.

"Talk about super swimmers," Damon commented as the pieces fell into place. Elena gently elbowed Damon in the ribs while hugging Jeremy and Bonnie.

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Elena said excitedly. "Is that what you told Caroline about while Jeremy dropped Arianna off?"

"I took the test at her house," Bonnie explained. "Tyler found it and freaked."

"Why did Tyler freak?" Damon questioned.

"He was a little bit…tipsy after a night out with Matt," Jeremy said quietly. "Anyways, we better get going."

…

"Thank you for being patient with me for the last few days," Elena said quietly as she snuggled next to Damon on the couch. She had just taken a shower and was now comfortable in her satin knee-length nightgown and a cardigan sweater. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as her legs crossed over his lap. He placed a light kiss on her exposed skin, sending a shiver up Elena's spine.

"I know how important your family is to you – especially now," he whispered. Elena's eyes began to glisten with tears that threatened to fall. Her gaze fell on the fireplace as Damon's arms tightened around her. She always felt so safe in his arms, and right now her walls of emotions threatened to fall down around her – leaving her emotionally vulnerable. "Elena, its okay to be a little bit jealous."

"No it's not, he's my brother…" Elena paused. "Don't get me wrong, I am _so_ happy for them. I love Arianna so much and I'm sure I'll love my new niece or nephew just as much but…I don't know, I think I'm just overtired."

"I'm sorry," Damon whispered. Elena tilted her head towards Damon, his features only lit by the fireplace. Even in the faint light, she could see the way his face was contorted into that of someone harboring regret. She caressed his cheek with the back of her hand and she leaned her forehead against his, her brown eyes wide with confusion while his were pained with remorse. "I know how much you wanted a family; and I'm sorry that I can't give that to you."

A small smile fell on Elena's lips as brushed her thumb across Damon's lips. "In case you haven't noticed, I can't give you a family either," she whispered. "I'm no doctor but I think your swimmers are frozen and my uterus is probably frozen like an Alaskan cave."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Damon mumbled. Elena let out a soft laugh and she placed her hand on the side of Damon's face. She closed her eyes and leaned in, brushing her lips against Damon's.

"Alright – I'm a vampire now too. So that literally means that you're stuck with me forever. We don't have to talk about this right now; in fact, I don't _want_ to talk about this right now. Do you think that for tonight, you can just hold me? The rest can wait," Elena reminded him. Damon nodded and leaned in to kiss Elena on the cheek.

Even the simplest gesture like that managed to send shiver's up Elena's spine. It still managed to ignite the fire in her heart. It still managed to cause the butterflies to flutter in her stomach. It still caused her heart to pound in her chest.

"You're amazing, you know that? I kind of love you, Elena Gilbert."

"Salvatore," she whispered. "It's Elena Salvatore."


	3. Talk You Down

"I could smell your self-pity from a mile away," Ric commented as he took a seat beside Damon at the bar. Damon ignored his best friends comment with only a smirk as a reply. Damon couldn't stop thinking of his conversation with Elena from last night. Logically, Damon knew there was no way they could ever have a family. The options were endless if you were human – but there has yet to be a case on successful vampire parents, and he wasn't about to go to Stephanie Meyer for advice. "This could go two ways. We could play 20 questions, or you could just tell me what's on your mind."

Damon took a deep breath along with another swig of bourbon. His head hung low, his gaze on the bar counter as he contemplated expressing the human emotions he was feeling. "I'm a bad husband," he finally settled on. Alaric's forehead furrowed together in confusion as he took a sip of his cold beer.

"You're just realizing this now?" he teased. Damon's head stayed low, leaving Alaric with the conclusion that something was really wrong. "What are you talking about?" Alaric asked solemnly.

"I can't give my wife the thing she wants most…" Damon mumbled. "She wants a family, kids, the whole nine yards."

"Your swimmers are frozen and so is her uterus, how are you supposed to give her a family?" Ric asked confused, grabbing a handful of peanuts from the bowl on the counter.

"Let me check my What To Expect When Your Vampire Wife Isn't Expecting Encyclopedia…oh wait, I don't have one."

"What brought all this baby talk on, anyway?"

"Judgy's pregnant again," Damon mumbled. Alaric's eyes widened momentarily before his face turned expressionless, clearly feigning indifference. On the inside, both he and Alaric knew that he was feeling excitement. Elena and Jeremy were the closest things that he had and would ever have to kids; and so he felt like Arianna was his granddaughter, so of course he's happy for the new addition.

"Guess he's got super swimmers…" Alaric muttered, taking another sip of his drink.

"That's what I said!"

"But back to the subject – you know there's this fancy thing called adoption right?" Alaric questioned rhetorically, a small smirk on his face. Damon rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his raven hair.

"It's not an option. I know I'm an ass and I talk a good game about not giving a damn – but there's no way I could adopt a kid and then outlive it. I couldn't damn my child to an eternity of misery without giving them the option otherwise."

"I never thought I'd see the day where you actually cared about someone other than yourself," Alaric admitted.

"Me either…" Damon agreed solemnly.

"And then you met Elena."

"And then I met Elena."

…

"Where've you been?" Elena asked when Damon came in the door a few hours later. He shrugged his shoulders lightly before shrugging out of his leather jacket. Even from across the room, Elena could smell the alcohol on his breath – and she could see it in his bloodshot eyes. She took a deep breath and blurred across the room to help her husband to the couch. "Are you okay?" she questioned genuinely, her voice soft as she blurred into the kitchen to get Damon a cup of coffee.

"Walking on sunshine…" he muttered, reluctantly taking the steaming mug from her. Elena's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as she took in the dishelved appearance of the man in front of her. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Damon drinking his mug of coffee and Elena gauging his reaction. "I wish I was a seahorse," Damon mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Elena questioned, confusion etched on her features and lacing her tone.

"I wish I was a seahorse," Damon repeated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How drunk are you?" she asked, her eyebrows rising incredulously.

"Male seahorses carry babies…" Damon mumbled under his breath. "Seahorses give their lady seahorses families." Elena's forehead furrowed together in confusion, not entirely sure where her husband was taking this conversation. She took a deep breath, while Damon's eyelids drooped to a close. Within minutes, he had fallen lump on the couch, his mouth slightly ajar as a light snore erupted from the back of his throat. She offered him a small smile and pulled the nearest blanket over her Damon.

Elena pushed his raven hair back to plant a light kiss on his forehead, a small smile on her face. "I love you," she whispered before turning off the living room light.

…

Damon clutched his head; his eyes squinted against the light that was streaming through the Boarding House window. Elena came in with a big smile on her lips, a cup of what Damon could recognize as tea in her hand as she cuddled up on the big arm chair by the fireplace.

"Hello love," she offered quietly. A low groan erupted from his lips as he could feel the effects of the alcohol. "How do you feel?" Elena asked cautiously.

"I feel like an elephant is standing on my head…" Damon groaned. Elena chuckled lightly, her thoughts immediately going to his animal analogy the previous night. "What happened?" he asked earnestly, a confused look etched on his features.

"Alaric brought you home; you could barely make a coherent sentence."

"That bad?"

"At one point, you said that you wished you were a seahorse," Elena reminded Damon with a smile on her lips – amusement glistening in her eyes.

"Please tell me you're joking," he mumbled. She shook her head, a soft giggle falling from her lips. "I'm sorry to put you through that," he apologized earnestly. Elena shrugged her shoulders lightly, her brown hair falling over one shoulder.

"You've said worse things while drunk," she reminded him. "I just wish you had of told me how you're feeling about this instead of talking to Ric,"

"Of course it's getting to me. I'm the man, I'm the husband – I'm supposed to provide for my wife!" Damon said coldly. Elena rolled her eyes, rising from her seat.

"You're also supposed to talk about whatever is bothering you _with me_, not a bottle of bourbon!" she shot back. She quickly regretted her words as she could see the hurt in his eyes. She took a deep breath and set her tea aside to sit on the coffee table, her ands on her husband's knees. "That came out wrong, I'm sorry. Damon…I love you and I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose this life instead of death. Is it ideal? No. Is this how I imagined my life? No but this is my life now and I'm not gonna waste time on things that I can't change. You shouldn't either."

"You're getting wise in your old age, Elena…" Damon teased. Elena smiled lightly, and flipped her brown locks over her shoulder dramatically in a very Caroline-like way. "I should probably thank Alaric…" he grumbled after a moment. Elena nodded in agreement as she leaned forward and placed a swift kiss on Damon's cheek before standing up and turning to leave. "Wait…where are you going?" Damon asked, a pout evident on his lips. Elena chuckled lightly and turned around, her hands on her hips.

"I have a lunch date with Jeremy," Elena said swiftly.

"This early?" he questioned.

"It's almost noon," she told her husband gently. Damon turned his gaze to his phone before a groan of annoyance escaped from his mouth. Elena shifted her weight to one leg, her one arm swinging at her side while one remained on the revealed skin her small tank top provided. "I'm gonna go have a shower…are you coming?" Elena asked playfully.

"You don't have to ask me twice," he growled as Damon blurred them up the stairs.

_**Sorry that it took so long to update. Reviews and feedback are love. **_


	4. Love Will Tear Us Apart

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie nearly spat as she instinctively lifted Arianna from her play-pen in the living room. Damon offered the baby a small smile as she smiled widely at him as well. Bonnie rolled her eyes, a look of evident dismay on her face as she couldn't help but feel betrayed if her daughter liked Damon. "Elena's out with Jeremy, they probably won't be back for at least another hour or so…"

"Yeah, I know. I actually came here to see you," Damon told her honestly. Her forehead immediately scrunched up together in confusion, her mind jumping to various scenarios where Damon would want to see her. She could only think of one reason that would bring Damon to her doorstep without Elena, no gun to his head and no evident sarcastic pretenses.

"Is Elena okay?" Bonnie asked nearly instinctively. "I just saw her not even two hours ago, please tell me that you didn't do something stupid…" she begged, her thoughts jumping to worst case scenario. Damon fought to hold back a growl at the thought that the witch would automatically assume he did something negative. Didn't she understand that Elena was his wife and he'd let hell freeze over before any arm came to his her?

"No, Judgey…I didn't do anything stupid. But it's good to know that you still manage to see the best in people," Damon retorted sarcastically. Bonnie rolled her eyes and shifted Arianna's weight to her other hip. Bonnie had begun to gain a little bit of weight, not enough for human eyes to pick up on but enough that Damon could see the beginning of a baby bump. "I was wondering if you could help me with something," Damon said with a small smile of mock innocence. Bonnie rolled her eyes and placed her free hand on her free hip.

"What do you even need my help with? You have everything you've ever wanted, don't you?" Damon opened his mouth to say a sarcastic comment as his defense faltered with a little bit of anger at the thought that he's tired of Elena already. "Just spit it out, Damon…" Bonnie warned. Damon rolled his eyes, his expression growing both cold and distant but at the same time, a tinge of vulnerability evident in his eyes.

"Have you ever heard of someone named Gloria?" Damon questioned randomly. Bonnie's forehead scrunched together in confusion, her brown eyes growing wider before her resolve quickening as she mustered up a poker face. "I'll take that as a yes. Do you know where I can find her?"

"Why do you want to find Gloria?" Bonnie questioned, almost reluctantly.

"I…it's none of your business, can you just tell me where I can find her?"

"What do you want with her?" Bonnie pressed.

"What does it matter?" Damon quipped, his voice near a growl. Bonnie licked her lips before turning around and going upstairs. Damon waited patiently as he assumed she was putting Arianna down for her nap. He was right as Bonnie descended the stairs only minutes later, concern evident on her expression.

"It matters because you show up at my house, out of the blue and start asking me questions about where you can find arguably one of the most resourceful witches known to exist in this day and age," Bonnie said quickly. "You can't expect me to just hand over whatever I know and expect that you're dropping off a gift basket for the woman, now do you?"

"Judgey's getting snarky in her old age," Damon quipped with a ghost of a smirk on his face. Bonnie folded her arms across her chest, her eyebrows raised and the expression on her face making it clear that she wasn't in the mood for games. Damon took a deep breath, and rolled his eyes before meeting Bonnie's gaze again. "I love Elena," he blurted out. "Her humanity was taken away from her in a life or death situation. I know she loves me, I know it but I can't help but think that given the opportunity, she would've wanted to stay human despite our relationship at the time. But now her body is frozen, and I can't give the woman I love a family…"

"Damon," Bonnie said – her voice soft and gentle. "Time turning is a very tedious thing, and only the original witch is capable of such magic and Gloria isn't the original witch."

"I don't want to turn back time," Damon clarified. "I want Elena and me to be human." Bonnie's eyes widened with disbelief, horrific confusion in every crease of her face. "I know it sounds crazy, but…stranger things have happened."

"You're insane," Bonnie breathed. Damon took a small step forward, his hands extended as if offering peace. His expression was tired, his eyes aged with wariness.

"Maybe I am, but I'm insanely in love with my wife. Look, I know you don't trust me. You never have and you probably never will. But this isn't about me; this is about Elena and the choice that wasn't given to her…"

"Elena made her choice, Damon. She chose this life."

"Do you think that if her body wasn't desecrating, she would've damned herself to an eternity of misery? You know as well as I do that this is the last thing she wanted, but somehow this is what she got…Bonnie," Damon paused, his voice softening. "If there is _anyway_ you can help me make this up to Elena, then please, help me. Help me and give me a chance to do right by my wife, please."

Bonnie opened her mouth to speak but was thwarted by the sound of Jeremy and Elena entering the Gilbert house, laughter emanating the foyer and living room. Elena's face immediately contorted into minor confusion as she took in the atmosphere and the body language between her husband and her best friend. She and Jeremy exchanged a look of confusion before they shifted their feelings back to normalcy.

"How was lunch?" Bonnie asked suddenly as Jeremy leaned in to kiss his fiancée on the cheek.

"It was great," Jeremy said happily. "Where's our girl?"

"I just put her down for a nap but she's been fussy, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you…" Bonnie hinted. Jeremy nodded as he and Bonnie walked up the stairs hand in hand to see their daughter. Elena immediately turned to Damon, her voice low and quick as she questioned him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just…came to say hi," Damon said awkwardly. Elena tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows raised in disbelief as she knows Damon's poker face all too well. He let out an annoyed sigh, a small smile on his lips. "Fine, I came here to see if she's heard anything from the other side about vampirism parents," he admitted half-heartedly.

"Damon…"

"I know it sounds crazy but…"

"I don't wanna do this anymore," Elena breathed suddenly. "I don't want to talk about families or babies or humans. We're not human. We won't ever have a baby. We won't ever have a family. That's the reality. There's nothing about the other side that can change that, so _please_ – Damon. Please just stop…stop trying to find hope in something that is hopeless."

The expression on Elena's face tore ripped through Damon violently. He felt as though a shard of glass was pumping through his veins, his wife's broken expression reflecting in the glass. He watched as Elena took a deep breath in a feeble attempt to regain her composure as Jeremy and Bonnie descended the stairs awkwardly, silence hanging above their heads in a cloud.

"How's Arianna doing?" Elena asked, eager to deflect the attention from her tension filled conversation with Damon that had occurred barely a minute before. Bonnie smiled automatically and Jeremy instinctively wrapped his arm around Bonnie's shoulder.

"Amazing as always," Jeremy said proudly. Elena winked at him and smiled warmly as she could hear the faint heartbeat of her sleeping niece upstairs. Elena's heart broke at the knowledge that Arianna and any other children her brother and Bonnie have will be the only connection to a real human family. Elena kissed that goodbye when she drank from that blood bag. She'd never thought that she'd have to deal with the problems humanity harbored such as starting a family, but now suddenly it seems as though Damon has made it his mission to make her feel useless because she can't produce a child. She thought that when she married Damon, her life would be simple. She knew her marriage would have ups and downs, but as Elena stand in the foyer of her brother's living room, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd rushed into any of this. She couldn't help but wonder how things might've turned out if she didn't show up to see Stefan and Damon on the brink of death that one fateful night that changed her world…

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Elena loved Damon. They were soul mates, twin flames…inevitable. But there were times where Elena couldn't help but wonder how her life would have been different if she had never met Stefan or Damon at all. What would her life be like if she continued her life as a normal human girl, got married to a normal human husband and had a normal human family. What if she got the whole human nine yards, but couldn't have Damon? Elena shook the thoughts away, her heart aching at the thought of that reality. There was no world for her, if there was no Damon.

And she would give up her humanity, and all the opportunities humanity gave her – for her world…for her Damon.

**Reviews and feedback are love (:**


	5. Happy Boys and Girls

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Damon complained. Elena chuckled lightly as she watched Damon blur around their bedroom as he packed his duffle bag. She took a deep breath, mild concern lacing the air she exhaled as her thoughts became fumbled. It had been two weeks since she and Damon had that mini argument about starting a family, and over those two weeks Damon had withdrawn himself from Elena, leaving her worried when Jeremy announced his bachelor party is in Vegas. She took a deep breath in a futile attempt to steady her voice before she spoke.

"Maybe it'll be good for you," Elena suggested lightly. Damon let out an annoyed sigh as he threw his boxers in his bag. "The wedding is in less than two weeks, and Bonnie told Jeremy that she wanted him to have one last hurrah."

"No one gave me one last hurrah," Damon retorted, flashing a smirk towards the brunette. Elena rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her brown hair as she collapsed onto the pillows, her hands almost instinctively resting on her stomach, her heart aching at the subconscious desire. "Not that I'm complaining," he added as he blurred to the bed to crawl beside Elena.

She sighed in contentment as she molded herself into Damon's body. He wrapped his arms around her torso while she held his hands in front of her. His face was buried in her thick brown locks and Elena's gaze was fixed on the sun that was shining through their bedroom window. "I've missed you," Elena admitted quietly, her voice laced with a level of defeat he'd never heard before.

"I'm still here," Damon whispered. He knew that she wasn't talking about missing him in the sense that he's been gone for weeks but his emotions have been withdrawn for a while now, enough so that it worries Elena that her vampire marriage is falling apart. "I'm sorry, Elena. I am. I shouldn't have pushed so hard," he whispered. Elena chuckled lightly as she turned her cheek so Damon could plant a light kiss on it. "I should've been more realistic."

"Don't get me wrong, I love having a dreamer for a husband. It's just hard to keep dreaming about something that's hopeless, especially when it's everything you've ever wanted. I used to spend nights dreaming about what it'd be like to carry your child and have a family with you. But all that dreaming…it'll ruin us, Damon…" Elena whispered dejectedly.

"You're amazing," Damon whispered. "And I love you so much."

"I love you too, hubby…" Elena said lightly as she lifted her hand up to wipe a tear from her eye. "Wow, what a great conversation to have just before you leave for Vegas where the streets are filled with sex, drugs and rock and roll," she said with a soft giggle. Damon chuckled against her as he leaned in and kissed the back of her neck.

"Vegas has nothing on you," Damon told her honestly. Elena smiled as she and Damon fell asleep in each other's embrace, anxious to mend broken fences before he left tomorrow.

. . .

"Be good," Elena ordered as she snaked her arms around Damon's shoulders. He responded by pulling away and crashing his lips onto Elena. The kiss was scorching hot and passionate, the kind of kiss that left both Damon and Elena breathless and craving for more. If it wasn't for the fact that Tyler, Jeremy and Alaric were coughing awkwardly in Alaric's SUV less than twenty feet away, the couple probably would've taken the kiss upstairs. Elena pulled away and let out a soft chuckle as she licked her lips and gestured her head towards the SUV. "They're waiting for you."

"Let them wait," Damon said as he leaned in again. Elena giggled as she cradled Damon's face with her hands. She slowed the kiss reluctantly, leaving Damon to pull away with a pout evident on his face. With a honk of the horn, Damon's patience was tested as a low growl erupted from his lips. "I thought they wanted it to be a bachelor party and not a funeral!" Damon said loudly.

"Be good!" Elena reminded him as she kissed his cheek swiftly before taking a reluctant step back from her husband, leaving him to groggily move towards the vehicle. Damon growled again as he hopped in the back seat as Jeremy had already taken shotgun, leaving Damon and Tyler in the backseat. Elena waved goodbye as the SUV pulled out of the Salvatore driveway, as they headed straight for the highway.

"Does anyone know what the girls are doing for Bonnie's bachelorette party?" Alaric asked after ten minutes of silence.

"Caroline's planning it," Tyler answered swiftly. "I walked in on her last night while she was ordering what I assume was a male stripper." Damon couldn't help but chuckle heavily at that sentence, leaving Tyler confused. "What?" he demanded.

"A male stripper?" Damon asked incredulously. "How's a male stripper gonna entertain Baby Arianna, Judgmental Preggers, Married Elena and Committed Caroline?" Damon asked sarcastically. "Both bachelor and bachelorette parties are sort of redundant. We're all committed except for Alaric, but he won't do squat because he has a conscience and what not."

"I can still have a good time, with or without a conscience!" Alaric futilely defended.

"Except it's always better without," Jeremy interjected.

"How would you know? You try to commit to every girl you've ever been with," Tyler teased.

"Girls love commitment," Jeremy shot back.

"Are we really having this conversation? This has the potential to get really, really awkward…" Ric added hesitantly as his grip tightened around the steering wheel. Tyler, Jeremy and Damon looked to Ric simultaneously. "I don't think talking about our past affairs is a good idea."

"Why not? Because I did your ex-wife?" Damon teased.

"Don't brag about it. That means you did your wife's mother…" Alaric shot back. Jeremy and Tyler broke out into fits of laughter, leaving Damon to growl furiously. "What are you two laughing at?" Alaric added. "You two both slept with Vicki Donavon."

"I danced with her while she was in her underwear," Damon added. Jeremy growled and turned around in his seat, his eyes on Tyler and Damon.

"You two both slept with Caroline!"

"Who hasn't slept with Caroline?" Damon retorted, a smirk on his face.

"Hey!" Tyler futilely defended.

"How is our town not infected with herpes?" Alaric muttered to himself as he pulled the SUV into the airport parking lot, his stomach dropping with dread of the flight to Vegas. He had a feeling that this was a bachelor party that neither of them was going to remember.

. . .

"This is the worst bachelorette party ever!" Caroline complained as she collapsed on the couch. Elena exchanged a look of amused concern with Bonnie, who had turned her gaze to the blonde in a futile attempt to reassure her. Bonnie opened her mouth to speak but was thwarted by the rest of Caroline's rant.

"Don't say that it's not, Bonnie because it is. I planned everything out beautifully…we were gonna get a babysitter for the baby and then we were gonna have a party bus, have a male stripper show off his moves with us and then Elena and I were gonna take extra shots for you because you've got a bun in the oven again…"

"Caroline…" Bonnie said. "I really appreciate all the thought you put into his, but I'm really okay without all of that stuff. I just wanted a quiet evening with my three favorite girls," Bonnie said happily as her eyes fell on Arianna, who was currently being showered with kisses by Elena. "I don't need fancy stuff. I'm gonna be fine with a tub of ice cream and Casablanca," Bonnie told her friend honestly.

"But this is supposed to be your last hurrah before you get married!" Caroline whined.

"There's not much I can do with my current situation. I love Jeremy so I'm not gonna cheat. I'm pregnant so I'm not gonna drink or have anymore of your special brownies…" Bonnie said with a smirk. This seemed to grasp Elena's attention as she broke out into a small laugh as she exchanged a look of amusement with the annoyed blonde.

"I feel so loved," Elena said sarcastically as she shifted Arianna's weight in her arms. "Bonnie's pregnant and you throw a fit because you can't give her a proper bachelorette party. You guys didn't even offer to throw me a bachelorette party," Elena reminded lightly.

"Judging by the fact that the walls at your place aren't paper thin, I'm pretty sure that you were fine with the party in your panties that Damon threw you," Caroline said curtly. Elena's forehead furrowed together in embarrassment as her cheeks flushed an awkward shade of red, leaving Bonnie and Caroline to chuckle lightly.

"How about we _don't_ talk about my sex life?" Elena asked sarcastically. Caroline winked at the brunette before they both simultaneously turned to their engaged pregnant witch best friend. "So have you and Jeremy talked a date yet?"

"Vaguely. I don't think that weddings or any events are really Jeremy's thing," Bonnie said.

"Yeah, Damon hates them too…"

"Damon only hates them because he's been going to them for almost 200 years…" Caroline piped up. Elena's forehead furrowed together in confusion as she exchanged a look with Bonnie that mirrored what the brunette was feeling. "What are you two looking at?" Caroline asked, breaking her two friends out of their trance.

"Are you okay, Care?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why would you assume that I wasn't?"

"Because you've kind of been short tempered tonight…" Elena said tentatively. Caroline rolled her eyes and flipped her blonde hair over her shoulders as she exhaled a deep breath.

"It's just…" Caroline let out another breath, this one laced with annoyance and frustration. "Everyone is moving on with their lives and I'm…not!" she said. "Elena, you got married to _Damon Salvatore_. He came to town, ripped open some jugulars, raised a little hell and somewhere along the way he became somebody that was capable of falling so terribly in love with a human that it makes everyone else's heart ache.

"And you!" Caroline announced as she turned to Bonnie. "You have a baby! You're pregnant, again! You're getting married! But me…" she said exasperated. "I'm…not getting married. I'm not getting married because the love of my life is a werewolf and I'm a vampire and I _can't _have babies. So where does that leave me? What am I supposed to do while everyone else is moving on with their lives? I mean, isn't this the stage in life where if you realize you'll inevitably end up alone, that you just…buy a goldfish or a cat or something?"

"Caroline," Elena said tentatively. "Do you think that any of us woke up one morning and decided this life? Do you think Tyler wanted to be a werewolf? You didn't even know the existence of vampires until you were feeding on a blood bag. I thought that Stefan was the love of my life but then…against all odds, I fell in love with my soul mate. It's not exactly like Bonnie and Jeremy are a match made in heaven but…look, what I'm trying to say is that our lives is not how we thought it would be…you're not presidential princess," Elena said with a laugh. "Bonnie isn't a doctor and I'm not a model…but we're in love with people who love us back and we're alive and breathing. If that's not something to smile about or be thankful for, then I don't know what is."

Caroline nodded furiously as she brought her hand up to wipe a fallen tear from her cheek. She chuckled lightly as she pulled her sleeves down to wipe the rims of her glistening blue eyes. "It's not even 8:00 yet and I'm ruining my makeup," Caroline whimpered. "Oh god, is it possible to both love and hate heart to hearts?" she questioned allowed, leaving Bonnie and Elena to laugh along side their friend. "I love you guys," she said as she stood up and extended her arms. Elena and bonnie stood up simultaneously and Caroline wrapped her arms around her two best friends and surrogate niece.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! (: Review. **


	6. Soul Meets Body

"Are you freakin' nuts?" Alaric hissed in Damon's ear as they dragged their luggage through the double doors of Caesar's Palace Hotel in Las Vegas. Damon smirked as he sauntered right over to the check-out counter, rather pleased when he became face to face with woman whose body language became more than eager to assist the raven haired, blue eyed man.

"Jennifer," Damon announced as he read her nametag. "What a pretty name," he complimented with a smirk. "We'll take two suites, two beds in each suite. Highest accommodations included would be nice," Damon ordered swiftly. Jennifer began punching in the numbers onto the system, her eyes widening at the price. She coughed awkwardly before flashing an apologetic smile towards Damon.

"The most expensive suite in the hotel is $1,800 per person…per night…" she admitted awkwardly. Alaric groaned outwardly, while Damon exhaled deeply in an attempt to get her to be more accommodating.

"Well Jennifer, that's unfortunate…" Damon mumbled sadly.

"But," she said quickly. "That price is including show tickets, complimentary nightclub admission, and optional helicopter tour of the strip plus food and drink specials…" Jennifer told them as if she was willing to pull out all the stops to get this handsome stranger to check into their hotel.

"Great," Damon said as he feigned excitement. He sent Jennifer a smirk before he leaned seductively over the counter. Jennifer followed suite, her own ebony hair falling past her shoulders as she moved her arms to accentuate her fake breasts. Damon opened his mouth, his voice velvety smooth as he locked eyes with the girl. "_You will take both zeroes off both prices for our rates. When asked why you did that, you will say because we looked like we could use a break…and then you will be happy if and when you get fired."_

Jennifer repeated the words monotonously after Damon before giving him two hotel keys. Damon turned around and smirked at Alaric while nodding for Tyler and Jeremy to follow them to the elevator. "Damon, you can't just compel her like that! This is how she makes a living!" Alaric tried to tell him. Damon shrugged lightly as he pressed the buttons following the numbers indicated on the keys.

"Not my problem, Ric. And besides…it's not like there aren't venues in Vegas to make quick cash…" Damon defended.

"Not everyone wants to be a stripper," Jeremy commented.

"Shut it, Gilbert. I just got the two best suites in this hotel for the price of a DVD. You should be thanking me. Anyways, can we not spend our time here with furrowed brows because of money? We should keep the banters for when we gamble," Damon announced. "So, Gilbert…what is it that you want to do first in Sin City?"

"When we're here, let's just call it Vegas since I am getting married…" Jeremy reminded his brother in law. Damon rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to the seemingly broken elevator numbers at the top of the doors that indicated which floor you were on. Just his luck, they were on one of the highest floors, leaving the rest of the elevator ride sufficiently awkward.

After the boys settled in, they congregated in the foyer of the adjoining suites. Damon was spotted dressed in his typical dark-wash jeans, black button up shirt and black combat boots. Alaric was wearing a white t-shirt covered up with a beige blazer and jeans. Jeremy and Tyler unintentionally dressed similarly with blue jeans and black t-shirts, although Tyler added a chain around his neck.

"Alright, are we ready to go?" Jeremy asked. Just as Tyler was about to answer, their thoughts were interrupted as Damon raised his eyebrows incredulously. The room fell silent as Jeremy, Tyler and Damon watched Alaric unconsciously fix his hair, his eyes on his reflection in the mirror by the door.

"Your hair has looked the same for the past four and a half years I've known you, tonight's no exception…" Damon commented.

"Shut up. Tyler has Caroline. Jeremy is getting married to Bonnie and you're somehow married to Elena. I'm allowed to check my graying hair for anyone I meet tonight. You only really experience Vegas once. And it's not like you've ever done a double take in the mirror," Alaric accused his best friend. Damon folded his arms across his chest, a smirk evident on his face.

"I've never had to," Damon admitted. Alaric rolled his eyes while Damon took a step forward and patted his best friend on the back. "Relax, Ricky…we won't tell anyone that you check your hair like a girl at prom. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

"Except for herpes," Tyler interjected. "That shit will come back with you."

**. . .**

"Are you having a good time, Gilbert?" Damon asked as they approached the bar. Jeremy nodded and was surprised by how quickly the bartender gave them their beers. "Are you nervous?" Damon found himself asking after a moment's silence. Jeremy's forehead furrowed together in confusion at the question. "To get married…" Damon clarified. "Are you nervous to get married?"

"No…" Jeremy answered quickly. "I love Bonnie."

"I didn't ask if you loved her," Damon observed. "I asked if you were nervous." Jeremy took another drink of his beer before turning towards Damon, his expression serious.

"I guess I'm kind of nervous, but that's…that's normal, right?" Jeremy paused before a look of disgust fell across his features. "Ugh," he let out a scowl. "I'm getting cold feet to marry the woman who in about six months will have had two of my children and I'm nervous about marrying her. What does that say about me?" Jeremy asked rhetorically. Damon kept his mouth shut, well aware that the boy in front of him wasn't finished venting. He took two big breaths before Jeremy's gaze turned towards Damon, his eyes narrowing in question. "How did you know you wanted to spend the rest of your life with Elena?" he asked suddenly.

Damon thought about that for a minute before answering. "I saw your elementary school pictures. You had braces and glasses, right?" Damon questioned. Jeremy blushed ever so lightly, his fists clenching together on the bar. Damon chuckled before holding his hands up in surrender. "Hold on, I have a point – I promise. How did you feel after you put your glasses on for the first time?"

"Uhm…I don't know. I don't remember, I was like…eight."

"Okay, rephrase. What changed after you put on the glasses?"

"What does this have to do with anything? I only asked how you knew you wanted to spend forever with Elena…"

"Humor me."

"I could see clearly…" Jeremy answered awkwardly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Exactly," Damon said. "Before I say what I'm about to say, you've gotta promise that this stays between us or I will take your ring, flush it down the toilet and then I will kill you, okay?" Jeremy nodded awkwardly, his arms folding instinctively across his chest in a feeble attempt to keep the ring away from Damon's line of sight.

"Elena is my glasses. She is what makes me feel like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Elena is everything I never knew I'd always wanted and needed. I knew that I wanted to marry Elena because even just the thought of living forever while I watched her die with every human year, especially after I'd experienced what it was like to have her, it was something that…it's…unimaginable. Elena is it for everything. She's my best friend, my lover, my wife and my world is nothing without her. I knew I wanted to marry Elena because even if I live for 1000 years, I'd never be with someone that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with her."

Jeremy offered Damon a small smile while Damon chuckled lightly, his gaze becoming distant as he stared at the floor absentmindedly. "I would've been content with _'I wanted to marry Elena because I wanted to spend forever with her'_ but that was a nice speech. And if it's any consolation, I'm happy she chose you…" Jeremy offered lightly.

"I'm happy she chose me too," Damon said with a quirky smile. "Oh and contrary to the dreadful looks I've been giving you and Bonnie lately, congratulations on the new addition."

"Thanks," Jeremy said nicely. "Wait – what dreadful looks?"

Damon opened his mouth to answer his brother in law but was thwarted by Tyler drunkenly staggering over to the bar for another drink. Jeremy's eyes widened in annoyance while he draped Tyler's arm over his shoulder and lead him towards the restaurant to get some food on his empty, alcohol filled stomach. Alaric followed suit, his beer bottle practically attached to his mouth. Damon couldn't help but smirk at the thought that even a high school history teacher, a human, a werewolf and a vampire could have fun in Vegas. Damon's thoughts were once again interrupted by a velvety smooth voice in his ear.

"Don't you look lonely," she said seductively. Damon reluctantly turned his gaze to follow the voice, his eyes landing on a twenty something year old girl who looked like she just came in from a night on a classy street corner. A seductive smirk was on the blonde's face, her blue eyes sparkling with anticipation as they roamed up and down Damon's body. Damon instinctively stiffened in his chair as he turned to face the erotically charged blonde, a polite smirk on his lips.

"I can't say that _my wife_ would appreciate you undressing me with your eyes," Damon said assertively. The blonde folded her arms across her chest, her smirk never faltering.

"Your wife, huh?" she replied. "Well isn't she lucky."

"I'm the lucky one," Damon defended curtly. This strange blonde only made Damon yearn to be at home with his wife. Acting on his instincts, he dug into his pocket and put a thirty on the bar. "Speaking of my wife, I think it's about time I head up to my hotel _alone_ to call her…" he announced awkwardly.

"I'm sure the infamous doppelganger can wait," the blonde teased. Damon stopped dead in his tracks, his blood running cold as he turned around. He blurred in front of the blonde, not caring about the stares he got briefly from passing gamblers. His hands gripped her shoulders tightly as his eyes stared into hers intensely, his voice low and menacing. Just as Damon opened his mouth to spout out a compulsion request, his hands began to burn. Another smirk fell on her lips as she folded her arms across her chest. "You can't compel a witch," she commented.

Damon groaned outwardly as he begun to rub his hands from the sting of the burn. "Why are there so many of you?" he mumbled. "And how do you know about Elena?"

"Elena is somewhat of a legend in our world, as are you. You're the great Damon Salvatore, who was previously deemed the crazy, impulsive vampire – in love with his brother's girl."

"Who are you?" Damon found himself asking.

"Sabrina," the blonde answered. Damon couldn't help the chuckle that fell from his lips, amusement lacing his tone.

"A witch named Sabrina," Damon announced before leaning on the bar slightly. "That doesn't sound made up at all."

"This witch named Sabrina is willing to offer you a deal," Sabrina offered coldly. Damon's forehead furrowed together in confusion, his arms folding across his chest defensively. He didn't say anything, his eyes willing her to explain. "The thing with eternity is that there are _so_ many loopholes!" she said swiftly. "Imagine the kind of husband you would be if you could actually give your precious Elena the thing she desires most."

"How the hell do you know about that?" Damon growled.

Sabrina shrugged lightly, her blonde locks falling over her shoulders. "Witches are a very tight knit group. We hear things." Sabrina licked her lips before leaning forward, her blue eyes sparkling with anticipation as she was now cheek to cheek with Damon, her lips by his ear. "Tell me, Damon…" she breathed as her hand moved to his chest. "How does it feel to love someone so much, but know that you're the very thing holding them back from what they want most…" she coerced.

Damon's jaw went rigid at the thought that he was what was standing between Elena and her human future. He immediately backed away from the blonde, disgust with Sabrina and himself coursing through his veins. "I'm assuming that it isn't the best of feelings, am I right?" Sabrina asked rhetorically before chuckling under her breath. "Of course I'm right. So this could go one of two ways," she told Damon. he opened his mouth to oblige before he was thwarted by her fingers flying up indicating the numbered idea.

"Number one, you could question me and then kill me and you'd never be husband of the year or number two, you could let me pull some strings, get a loophole and get your happily ever after you promised Elena dearest you'd give her…"

"Look Blondie, whatever you're selling – I ain't buying," Damon told her honestly. A mischievous smirk fell on Sabrina's face as she extended her long legs and they began to carry her behind the bar. Damon let out a low growl as he reluctantly followed. Moments later, he found themselves in a dark storage room. Damon quickly felt like he was cheating on Elena from the way Sabrina was standing so close to him. But the guilt of what Elena would think was trumped by the desire to know why this stranger knew so much about his life and marriage.

"Rumor has it you miss being human. In fact, little birdie told me you miss it more than anything in the world…" Sabrina teased. Damon immediately flashed to his road kill, Jessica…a nice girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Elena no doubt misses being human too; especially since her best friend is popping out baby number two within the span of not even three years. That must make Elena feel really insignificant…"

"What do you want?" Damon asked quickly.

"I'm prepared to offer you a deal," Sabrina said simply.

Damon scoffed. "What kind of deal?"

"How does 76 more human years sound to you?" Sabrina questioned with a smile.

"That's…that's impossible."

"For the Bennett witch, yes it is impossible because she's inexperienced with her magic. Everything she knows is by textbook; you learn nothing by playing it safe. For me, I like to think nothing is impossible."

"I'm a vampire. I've been a vampire for almost 200 years; you can't just erase that with human years."

"If I could give you and Elena 76 years of humanity, you'd have the opportunity to have a life with her. a real one. You could have kids, grandkids…you could get a job, a dog…you could have the white picket fence and the thanksgiving dinners…you could have everything you ever wanted."

"In exchange for what?" Damon asked. He didn't like the way his voice sounded – vulnerable and weak. But the thought of Elena being round with his child or dancing at his daughter's wedding or coaching his son's soccer team or watching Elena and their kids cook thanksgiving dinners was appealing enough to question the blonde.

"I only want one thing from you, Damon."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Your soul."

_How do you like that for a cliffhanger? P.S – This is not any way related to the CW show Supernatural. Sabrina the witch needs the soul for something entirely different (that is, if Damon accepts her deal). Did you like this chapter?__**Review! Review! Review! (:**_


	7. You Know I Love You, Don't You?

"_If I could give you and Elena 76 years of humanity, you'd have the opportunity to have a life with her. a real one. You could have kids, grandkids…you could get a job, a dog…you could have the white picket fence and the thanksgiving dinners…you could have everything you ever wanted."_

"_In exchange for what?" Damon asked. He didn't like the way his voice sounded – vulnerable and weak. But the thought of Elena being round with his child or dancing at his daughter's wedding or coaching his son's soccer team or watching Elena and their kids cook thanksgiving dinners was appealing enough to question the blonde._

"_I only want one thing from you, Damon."_

"_Oh yeah? What's that?"_

"_Your soul."_

"I'm sorry?" Damon asked, his eyes wide with disbelief and confusion. Sabrina tilted her head to one side, a smirk of manipulation evident on her lips. Damon let out a low growl, his fists clenched together at his side. "I don't know if you heard, but vampires don't have souls. Nice try, though. I admire your efforts," he said sarcastically.

"You don't believe me?"

"Everything that's come out of your mouth has been complete and utter crap, so no. I don't believe you."

"That's unfortunate," Sabrina said with a small sigh. "So you're not a believer?" Damon bit his lip, fighting back profanities and slews of jokes to throw at the blonde witch. He folded his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrows, an indication for her to continue her lie. "You're not a believer that the un-dead can have souls?" she questioned. Damon remained silent, giving Sabrina the opportunity to make her move. She took a small step forward, her skirt-exposed leg extended seductively as her high-heel finally collided with the hardwood floor of the casino. "I can prove it to you," she said quietly.

"I don't know if you heard but – if you're gonna get that close," Damon said as his eyes drifted to the close proximity between himself and Sabrina. "Not only do you have to go through Elena, but you've gotta buy me a drink first."

"Unlike you, I'm not afraid of Elena Gilbert…" Sabrina drawled on. Damon's arms dropped to his side, his entire frame going rigid with a mixture of confusion and defensiveness. "That seemed to have hit a nerve, didn't it? I'm right, aren't I? You're afraid."

"I'm not afraid of anything," Damon said quickly. Sabrina's eyebrows rose incredulously as she began to walk slowly around Damon, like a predator eyeing its prey. "Especially not Elena," he added unnecessarily. The lie became evident with his tone of voice – but it wasn't a regular lie. It wasn't that he was afraid of Elena because she was scary; Damon was afraid that one day Elena would wake up and realize that she can do so much better than him.

"You might not be afraid of her physically, but you're afraid of the things she makes you feel. You're afraid of her because the fact that you're willing to go to any lengths to make her happy – _that_scares you," Sabrina announced. Damon remained silent, his face expressionless as his insides boiled with emotions. "But you're probably most afraid of that one day, she'll get tired of playing the trophy couple – and she'll want more…she'll want more than you can give her."

"What are you, Dr. Phil for the supernatural?" Damon asked rhetorically. "For all I know, you're just good in extensive research who's trying to get ahead in their law class or something."

"I'm sure that is easier to believe," Sabrina said quietly. "But that's only because you aren't used to getting what you want – and when you get what you want, that's when you've got something to lose."

"I've already got what I want," Damon said curtly. The more he talked to Sabrina, he more he wanted to ditch the bachelor party and hop on the next flight, anxious to get home to his wife. "So, Elena and I talked about a family? So what? It's not in the cards, we know that. Life goes on," Damon announced.

Sabrina took an exasperated breath, her gaze distantly annoyed. "I've got to admit, I've been at this a long time and yet somehow _you_ are my toughest sell. I thought you'd be my easiest."

Damon shrugged his shoulders, a smirk on his face. "Sorry to disappoint," he said sarcastically. Sabrina rolled her eyes and flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder, manipulation evident in her eyes. Damon dramatically turned his gaze to the clock on the wall above the bar, a mockingly disappointed look on his face as he turned to Sabrina, feigning regret. "Oh, would you look at that. Your time is up…" before Damon could continue, he was thwarted by the snap of Sabrina's manicured fingers. His eyes widened as the people around him had become frozen, locked in their positions. His eyes fell on an old man in a corner who was frozen mid-yawn while a middle-aged woman was caught picking a wedgie. "What the-"

"_Actually_, Damon…" Sabrina said with a victorious smirk. "We have all the time in the world."

"I'm not buying what you're selling, so can we just call a spade a spade so I can get the hell out of here? I'm supposed to be at a bachelor party."

"Jeremy's puking in the bathroom while Tyler is drunk dialing Caroline. Alaric is weeping at the restaurant bar, telling his life story to the female bartender who is contemplating running into oncoming traffic. We have time," Sabrina finished curtly, leaving no room for arguments. "I'm gonna tell you one more time. I can give you what you want. Seventy-six human years with Elena, you can have the white picket fence family picture that you've dreamed about since 1864. It's not a lost cause, _let__me__help__you_."

Damon's forehead furrowed together in confusion although a small smirk found itself on his face momentarily before he wiped it off. "Who do you answer to?" Damon asked suddenly. Sabrina stiffened up immediately, like a child who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Nobody's this persistent unless they've got someone to answer to. So who is it?"

"I'm just this persistent, I guess…" Sabrina breathed. Despite the fact that she continued her façade, Damon caught her by surprise enough so that there were flaws in her mask. "Why is it so hard to believe that a witch can do something out of the goodness of their hearts – even if it is for a vampire?"

"Out of the goodness of their heart?" Damon asked incredulously, a low chuckle following his question. Sabrina rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, annoyance evident on his face.

"Bonnie Bennett does it," Sabrina announced.

"Judgey does it because I'm Elena's husband, and she has to tolerate me by default. If it were Bonnie's choice, I'd be dead one hundred times over!" Damon hissed. "So instead of selling me crap about giving Elena and I a family out of the goodness of a stranger's heart, how about you tell me what your boss wants from you."

Sabrina tilted her head to the side before shaking it ever so slightly, resistance evident in her eyes. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, an indifferent expression on her face. Sabrina let out a small sigh before folding her arms across her chest, an eyebrow raised incredulously and a manipulative smirk on her lips. "I guess you don't want it bad enough," Sabrina said evenly. Before Damon could react – she was gone.

: :

It didn't take long for Damon to track down the every body else. He could hear Caroline's nagging through the payphone Tyler was using, not to mention the annoyed sighs of the people that were also waiting to use the phone. Jeremy's sighs of contentment were evident when Damon spotted him eating a cheeseburger in the restaurant. And finally, his eyes landed on the disheveled appearance of his best friend at the bar. "…So then _she_ died, and I gotta tell you Amanda…" Alaric slurred.

"Who are you talking to?" Damon asked once he approached Alaric. Alaric drunkenly turned his gaze towards Damon, his eyes droopy and distant before he looked around the bar. Finally realizing nobody cared, Alaric shrugged his shoulders and took a swig from his tumbler. Damon patted Alaric on the shoulder while he struggled to suppress a smirk. "Ready to collect the troops and get out of here, big guy?"

"I'm gonna die alone, aren't I?" Alaric slurred again. Damon took a deep breath and ran a hand through his raven black hair before collapsing on the barstool next to Ric. "My headstone is gonna read _Alaric__Saltzman,__died__alone_."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ricky boy. You're not gonna die alone, we'll get you a cat or something," Damon said with a smirk. Alaric rolled his eyes before narrowing them, his hazel orbs shooting daggers in Damon's direction. Damon let out a small sigh before putting his hands up in mock surrender, a smirk on his face. "Alright, alright – fine. If you're more of a dog person…"

"You're a dick," Ric mumbled before finishing off his drink. "If it weren't for 'Lena's low standards, you'd die alone too…" he added thoughtfully, followed by a low chuckle. Damon's jaw became rigid very quickly, anger beginning to brew beneath the surface of his skin. The last thing he needed was to have his best friend reinforce his own insecurities about his wife. "I'm funny. I thought chicks dig humor?" he asked almost rhetorically.

"You know what chicks _don__'__t_ dig? Guys that can't throw a sentence together," Damon added harshly. He had to keep reminding himself that the things falling out of Alaric's drunk mouth weren't his own words, but the alcohol talking. Damon's been there before…more than once. Damon took a deep breath in an attempt to collect his thoughts and maintain his patience.

"I wanna go home," Alaric whined suddenly. Damon rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair again.

"Yeah, me too…" Damon mumbled. "Probably more than you know," he added as an afterthought. He took a deep breath, before he decided that they would hit the road. "Okay, you know what? We're leaving."

It took less than an hour for Damon to collect a hungry Jeremy, a drunken Tyler and an even drunker Alaric. It wasn't until the three of them were seated in the car, their heads lolling side to side with the movement of the car that Damon realized he was the responsible one that night. His foot accelerated on the gas pedal as he was beyond anxious to get home to Elena.

: :

"Damon?" Elena called out as she descended the stairs. Damon's heart stuttered to a halt in his chest at the sight of her. Elena's regularly groomed hair was disheveled. She wasn't wearing makeup, and her eyes were squinting against the harsh sunlight now streaming in through the door behind him. Her robe was wrapped tightly around her small frame, it becoming evident she had literally just crawled out of bed.

"Damon," Elena called again, this time her voice laced with relief and recognition. Damon offered his wife a small smile and before he knew it, Elena was in his arms.

Damon tightened his grip around his wife, burying his face in her messy brunette locks. Elena's grip tightened around his shoulders as she planted a light kiss on the visible skin. Moments later, Elena pulled away, but only to kiss Damon fiercely on the lips.

"I should leave town more often," Damon mumbled against her lips. Elena rolled her eyes while Damon grabbed her hand and led her to the couch. They were now sitting with Elena's legs lazily thrown over his lap, her head resting on his shoulder while he kissed her bare shoulder.

"No, you shouldn't…" Elena retorted with a smirk. "I wasn't expecting you until later tonight, what changed?" she questioned after a few minutes.

"Elena, I've gotta tell you. I've been around a long time, and never in my life have I been to a worse bachelor party. And that's saying something considering I've been alive since 1840."

Elena couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips as she leaned in and kissed Damon on the cheek. "What happened?" Elena inquired, an eyebrow cocked incredulously. Damon let out a small sigh as he was sent into recounting the failure evening he had in Vegas – conveniently leaving out his encounter with Sabrina the witch – leaving him feeling something he hadn't felt in a while. Guilty.

_I'm sorry it took so long to update, I haven't been feeling well AND I had a brain fart but thanks so much for all the reviews on the previous chapter. I have to say, I was mildly surprised by how many of you didn't want Damon to seal the deal! I can't wait to see your reviews for this chapter and what you think will end up happening. Please review! _


	8. Into You Like a Train

"Whose idea was this, anyway?" Damon complained for the umpteenth time as he hung colorful streamers across the mantle. Elena chuckled lightly as she continued to set up a desert table. "I mean, she's already had a baby so isn't it kind of redundant?" he questioned after getting no response from Elena other than a laugh.

"Caroline and I didn't throw her a shower because she was pregnant at graduation and nobody goes to baby showers in the wintertime," Elena explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's a lame excuse," Damon said, a reproachful look on his face. Elena rolled her eyes, a small pout on her face from embarrassment. Damon dropped the streamers and flashed across the room, taking Elena into his arms and kissing her fiercely. "But don't worry; it'll be our little secret."

"Thank you," Elena said quietly as she rested her forehead against Damon's, a small smile on her face. "And because none of us have many friends that aren't some sort of supernatural entity, it's a co-ed shower. Which means you have to be on your best behavior," she chastised, a smirk on her lips.

"So let me get this straight. I have to be on my best behavior in _my_ house, at a party that _I_ don't want to go to, so the witch that doesn't like _me_ can have a stress free day? Doesn't that seem a little bit skewed to you?" Damon questioned. Elena stood on her tip-toes, her arms snaking around Damon's neck as she kissed him fiercely. They stood like that for a moment, like two teenagers that will never see each other again. Elena pulled away, leaving Damon speechless.

"Do it for me?" she asked, her brown eyes wide with sincerity. Damon rolled his eyes, a suspicious expression on his face.

"Don't do that," Damon warned.

"Don't do what?" Elena asked, her voice high and innocent.

"Don't play the wifey card; I hate it when you do that."

Elena let out a sigh, her gaze distant before popping back into focus. A mischievous smile found itself on her lips seconds later, and it was as if a light bulb had gone off in her head. "Okay, how about this - if you're on your best behavior today, I will be on my _worst_ behavior tonight," Elena bribed with a smirk.

"That's not fair either," Damon reminded her. Elena remained on her tip toes as she placed soft kisses along the exposed skin of his neck, jaw, collarbone, cheek before finally, the edge of his lips. She paused there, until Damon let out a sigh. "Okay, you win. I'll be good." Elena smiled widely before crashing her lips onto Damon's.

"And I'll be bad," she promised, sending her husband a wink before going back to arranging the deserts. Damon let out a frustrated sigh as he continued to put up the pastel colored streamers but he couldn't help himself as his eyes darted to the grandfather clock every five minutes, anxious for bed time.

: :

"You guys, I love it!" Bonnie squealed with excitement as she caressed her baby bump. Elena chuckled lightly as she and Caroline high-fived, wide smiles on their faces. Bonnie's expression turned serious for a moment, her brown eyes wide with fear. "Where's my daughter?" she asked suddenly, her voice shaky, her eyes darting around.

"Relax, Bon. Damon has her," Elena said swiftly, her hand extending to her husband. Damon was sitting on the couch, a small smile on his face as he tickled Arianna's belly. Elena's heart melted at the sight of her husband and her niece, her gaze softening as her thoughts couldn't help but go to the future they'd never had. She let out a small sigh, one tainted with sadness and mindless dreaming. Bonnie took a sigh of relief, although Caroline's expression quickly changed to that of confusion. "What?" Elena asked.

"He's so good with her," Caroline commented. "I thought he was supposed to be the crazy, impulsive vampire that was in love with the woman he could never have but then he got you, and now he has you and it's all just so very…Twilight Zone…" she babbled animatedly.

Elena couldn't tear her gaze away from Damon, and how absolutely adoring he was with that little girl. As if reading her thoughts, Damon lifted his head momentarily, his gaze locking with Elena's as he offered her a small smile before winking at her. "You're not that tall, how did you get the streamers up?" Caroline questioned after Bonnie decided to see what her daughter was up to as Damon and Jeremy had taken her into the backyard.

Elena chuckled lightly, briefly explaining that Damon put up the streamers, although she left out the part about the bribe. Their thoughts were simultaneously interrupted by a knock at the door. Elena answered the door, a curious Caroline in tow. Elena was taken aback by the blonde stranger standing in the doorframe. A warm smile was etched on her features as she extended her hands, a batch of cupcakes on a platter. "Who the hell are you?" Caroline spat out immediately, somehow threatened by the new blonde.

"My name is Sabrina," she introduced herself. "I'm a friend of Damon's." Elena offered the blonde a small smile as she extended her hand, hesitancy laced with every move she made.

"I'm Elena, Damon's wife…" Elena said, her tone territorial. "I don't think he's mentioned you," Elena prompted awkwardly, her hand gripping the wooden door as she was reluctant to let the stranger in.

"Well we only met recently," Sabrina said. "In Vegas," she added as if trying to further anger Elena.

Elena's heart dropped into her stomach, her nostrils beginning to flare out of anger. She took a deep breath in a feeble attempt to remind herself that she did not know this stranger. Elena's never killed someone before, and she wasn't about to start now. She opened her mouth to speak but was thwarted by Damon's scent as she felt him behind her. Elena tilted her head, her eyes faintly meeting Damon's as his gaze was set angrily on the blonde. "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.

"I heard there was a party for the bride to be and I brought cupcakes," Sabrina said innocently as she extended her arms. A low growl interrupted from the back of Damon's throat, his jaw becoming rigid as he attempted to stare down the blonde. Elena licked her lips, anger evident in ever movement. Damon's arm instinctively found itself around Elena's waist, as he tried to diffuse the situation.

"I should go," Elena said quickly as she unwound herself from Damon's embrace. Elena paused as she was about turn and go upstairs, before she turned around and locked gazes with Damon. Damon's heart broke at the sheer betrayal that was mirrored in Elena's chocolate brown eyes. She shook her head, in incredulous chuckle escaping her lips as she stormed upstairs.

Damon let out an angered breath as he exchanged one last look with Sabrina. "Go to hell," he said coldly as slammed the door in her face. Damon flashed up the stairs and followed the sounds of muffled tears that led to the bedroom. Damon hesitantly opened the door, his eyes falling on his wife as she sat on the edge of the bed, betrayal etched on her features. "I can explain…" Damon warned, his voice low.

"I'm just wondering why we're in the part of a marriage where lying starts," Elena said quietly.

"I didn't lie to you…" Damon tried to defend. Elena scoffed, her eyes finally meeting his.

"Who was she, Damon?" Elena whispered, her voice cracking.

"Her name is Sabrina," Damon answered honestly. "She approached me in Vegas by flirting. I told her that my wife wouldn't appreciate it, and then she went on to tell me that she's a witch," Damon continued. He took a deep breath, deciding whether or not to tell her the next part. The expression on Elena's face made it clear that things couldn't get worse so he decided to go onto the full truth. "She offered me a deal," Damon finally admitted.

Elena's eyebrows furrowed together, her heartbeat picking up out of anxiety in her chest on the automatic assumption that she was a prostitute. "What kind of deal, Damon?"

"76 more human years for you and me," Damon said simply. Disbelief became etched on Elena's features, utter confusion and fear depicted in her eyes as she looked at her husband in search of some answers. "She said that she could make us human so we could have everything we ever wanted. Kids, grandkids…"

"I get the picture. What happened?" Elena asked shortly, her arms folded across her chest.

"I'd be lying if I told you I didn't consider it," Damon admitted. "But…I don't have a soul to bargain so, the whole thing was redundant. It was pretty clear after talking for a bit that someone wants her to make the deal. I don't know who, she disappeared into thin air before I could ask. I found the drunken guys after, and I drove straight home – to you, Elena."

Moments passed and Elena remained silent, her gaze on the floor as her mind was racing. Ever fiber of her wanted to be mad at Damon, but the idea of being angry at him made her physically exhausted. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard laughter from downstairs, a reminder that contrary to what she wanted, she and Damon weren't in their own little world. "I should go back downstairs," Elena said quietly as she stood up, straightening out her little sun dress.

Damon blurred in front of her, his arm extending to touch her forearm. His forehead was furrowed together, sadness evident on his face. "Elena, wait. Can we at least talk about this?" he asked quietly. Elena gave Damon a weak smile, and he could see right through it.

"You lied to my face. I asked you what happened in Vegas and you conveniently left out the feeble attempt by a witch to seduce you, not to mention the fact she wanted your soul in exchange for _our_mortality. I'm all done talking, Damon…" Elena said quietly as she brushed past him. She paused at the door, her gaze locking with his one more time. "I thought we were in this together," she whispered defeatedly before turning around and going back downstairs.

: :

"Well that was fun," Damon said sarcastically as he and Elena said goodbye to the last of their guests. Elena rolled her eyes as she dumped the various deserts into the garbage bag in her hand. "Let me do that," he offered lightly, a warm smile on his lips. Elena all but shoved the bag into his hand and flashed upstairs.

When Elena got upstairs, she drew herself a bath. While the water was running, she went and retrieved her night gown from the closet, and she removed all of her makeup. She could faintly hear the crinkling of the garbage bag downstairs as Damon cleaned, something he wouldn't do had they not gotten into a fight. After a few minutes, Elena stripped naked and stepped into the warm water, allowing her head to tilt on the tub-pillow, the bubbles covering every inch of her body.

She took a deep breath and tried to allow the warm water relax her very tense muscles. She could feel tears pooling behind her eyes but she fought them back, refusal to allow anyone get the better of her. She didn't like feeling vulnerable, it wasn't a trait she was too keen on having intensified with vampirism. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she barely noticed when the door creaked open, revealing a very hesitant Damon.

Elena couldn't help it as her gaze softened, the intensity of his blue eyes working their magic as she could feel her resolve rolling off her body in waves, disappearing into the bath water. Elena licked her lips, distrusting her voice as she decided against speaking. Instead, no words were necessary. Damon shrugged out of his black dress shirt, revealing his perfect chest.

Damon didn't join Elena in the bath. Instead, he rolled his pants up to his knees and sat at the back of the tub, only his feet in the water. Elena found herself leaning against his legs as he grabbed the pitcher that was on the shelf next to the tub and rinsed her air. He then grabbed the shampoo and began to massage her scalp, like he'd done many times before.

They remained silent, only the sounds of the ripples of water filling their ears as he rinsed her hair repeatedly. When the bathwater started to get cold, Damon was the first to get out. His hands instinctively reached from the stack of towel by the sink. He extended his arms, the towel expanding to its full size. Elena took a deep breath and brought herself out of the tub, allowing Damon to wrap his arms around his wife. She shuddered briefly, taken slightly aback by the sudden warmth of the towel and Damon's body heat.

A moment too soon, Damon relinquished his embrace around Elena and let her be to get change. She emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, only to find Damon had changed into his sweatpants and was now lying in bed. She contemplated staying on the opposite side of the bed, but as Damon's expression softened and his arms extended, she found herself wanting nothing more than to remain safe in the comfort of Damon's embrace.

She crawled into bed, her head resting on his shoulder, her arm wrapped around his waist while his arm was around her shoulder, the other on her hip. They lay like this for a few minutes, like they'd done a thousand nights before, only this time the air that surrounded them was tainted with an uncomfortable silence.

"I love you," Elena whispered finally. Damon pressed his lips against her forehead, before tightening his hold around her.

"Elena, I am so terribly in love with you that it almost hurts. So believe me when I say that I am truly sorry for keeping that from you. I didn't want to give you hope and then take it away, but I promise that from now on, no more secrets."

"I know you did it for me," she acknowledged. "It just hurt…and knowing that she threw herself at you was the icing on the cake," Elena added lightly. Damon couldn't help the small laughter that escaped his mouth.

"Can you blame her? I'm hot as hell," Damon said lightly. Elena rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face as she playfully smacked his torso. "Seriously though, my hot body is for your eyes only now," Damon reminded her. Elena tilted her head up and shifted, her leg swung over Damon's body so she was now straddling him. She leaned down, her wet hair creating a curtain as she kissed his lips lightly. "What was that for?" he asked, his hands on the sides of her thighs.

"I distinctly remember telling you that if you behaved today, I would misbehave tonight…" Elena reminded him. Damon's grip tightened on her thighs, his body beginning to yearn for Elena. "What do you say, Mr. Salvatore?" Elena prompted. Damon growled as he flipped her on her back faster than lightning, his lips crashing onto hers – anxious to have his way with her.

And he did.

_I can't believe all the reviews this story has gotten and it hasn't even been ten chapters yet! It truly means a lot to me, and I can't wait for all of your feedback for this chapter and future chapters! With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review (the more detailed/longer, the better!). _


	9. Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers

Damon couldn't take his eyes off the sleeping form beside him. He concentrated on the steady beating of her heart, the rise and fall of her chest as she slept. His fingertips were tracing aimless patterns on her bare back, as the sun began to rise outside. Elena stirred slightly as the warmth from the sun hit her bare skin. Her brown eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw were the pair of ocean blue eyes that belonged to the love of her life. A lazy smile found itself on her face almost immediately as she nestled further into the bed, her muscles refusing to allow her to be anywhere but beside him.

Damon couldn't help the smile that fell on his lips the second Elena opened her brown eyes. It was such a simple thing, but it made Damon's heart ache in ways he didn't know existed until Elena. Her forehead furrowed together in confusion, as Damon's smile didn't falter. "What?" she asked, confused. Embarrassment fell on her face as she brought her hand up immediately to wipe her mouth. "Crap, was I drooling again?" she asked almost redundantly, her hand running over her warm pillow.

"I'm just really happy I get to wake up to you every morning," Damon said honestly as he leaned in. Damon brushed his lips gently against Elena's before pulling away, a boyish smirk on his lips as an eyebrow rose incredulously. "You drool?" he questioned, his tone amused. Elena rolled her eyes and playfully pushed Damon slightly before curling up in the mess of blankets.

"No," she said almost too quickly, her cheeks turning pink. Damon scooped Elena up in his arms, a light giggle erupting from Elena's mouth before she nestled into his naked body. Elena placed a kiss on Damon's shoulder before resting her head there. Damon's cheek rested on the top of Elena's head as he relished in the scent of her. "I love waking up next to you too," Elena added as an afterthought.

They stayed that for a while – locked in each other's embrace, whispering sweet nothing's in each others ears. There was something about waking up to your soul mate that made your mornings just a little bit brighter. Their bliss was rudely interrupted by the sound of Elena's phone buzzing on then nightstand.

"If you answer it, I'm cutting you off from sex…" Damon warned as Elena began to shift in his embrace. Elena's eyes narrowed out of suspicion before she raised an eyebrow questioningly. She couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Damon having any kind of self control, especially when it came to her. Elena leaned forward to kiss Damon lightly on the cheek before she grabbed her phone and pressed it against her ear. "I hate you," he murmured as he threw the covers off him.

Elena chuckled lightly as she brought her attention back to the phone, although her eyes never left Damon as he sauntered into the bathroom, stark naked. "Hello?" someone on the phone asked, inevitably bringing Elena out of her thoughts.

"Hello?" Elena called back, mentally kicking herself for the distraction.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the voice said suddenly. Elena's forehead furrowed together in confusion before recognition kicked in, along with the realization it was an angry Bonnie on the other end of the phone.

"Why didn't I tell you what?" Elena questioned, not entirely certain what she could've done to anger Bonnie, especially since she and Caroline threw her a baby shower just yesterday. She rolled her eyes as she heard the shower running, a signal that told Elena, Damon wasn't coming back to bed.

"Why didn't you tell me there's another witch in town?" Bonnie clarified, her voice low and furious. Realization dawned on Elena as she remembered Sabrina. "What the hell is she doing here?" Bonnie added. Elena took a deep breath, unsure of what to tell Bonnie. "Elena?"

"I'm here," Elena said quickly. "I don't know what she wants. How do you even know about her?"

"Caroline told me another blonde showed up looking for Damon, and then Jeremy and I took Arianna to the park after the shower and she was there," Bonnie explained. Elena's forehead furrowed together in concern for her brother, niece and best friend. She'd only met Sabrina once, but the fact that she had approached her husband, wanted his soul and then stalked him home made her an automatic enemy

"Did she say anything to you?" Elena questioned automatically.

"We didn't give her a chance," Bonnie assured her friend. "We were out of there before she could say anything. Jeremy was with me when Caroline told us and he wouldn't have a confrontation, especially now…" Bonnie said softly. Elena nodded against the phone in understanding, fearing for her unborn niece or nephew. "What does she want, Elena?" Bonnie questioned, her voice shaky. Elena let out a deep sigh, her gaze becoming distant as she mulled over the possibilities – all of them leading to her husband.

"I'm not sure," Elena said. "But I'm going to find out," Elena promised.

: :

"You look like a loner all huddled on the couch with your tea and blanket," Damon admitted once he entered the living room. Elena chuckled lightly and moved her feet, allowing Damon to sit beside her, extending her feet across his lap. The smile didn't reach her eyes, something that wasn't lost on Damon. "Alright, out with it."

"What?"

"If you're bummed out because I cut you off from sex, there are ways I could be persuaded…" Damon coerced, leaning forward ever so slightly. Elena took the opportunity to lean forward and capture his lips with hers, hunger evident in her movements as her fingers tangled in his hair. "I'm persuaded. So do you wanna do it?" he asked after she pulled away.

"Later," Elena promised. Damon's face turned into that of rejected before her gaze turned solemn, her eyes wide with something Damon couldn't decipher. "Sabrina didn't leave," Elena finally admitted. Damon stiffened immediately, his eyes snapping from loving to cold in a matter of seconds. "For the first time in a while, nothing is threatening to shake the ground we walk on. To think that this…this witch can change all of that scares me, Damon. She wants something, and she's not leaving until she gets it."

"I don't know what it is that she wants though, Elena…" Damon said quietly. Elena nodded, acknowledging her belief in her husband. "We could always kill her," he suggested suddenly. Elena rolled her eyes, not amused by his feeble attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm only kidding, sort of. Can't Bonnie do some sort of witchy juju thing to find out what the bitch wants?"

"Bonnie can't exert that much power right now," Elena said swiftly. Damon didn't say anything, only nodded as he pondered his next move. He didn't like not knowing what he was up against, especially if the threat becomes evident against Elena, or anyone she loves.

It went without saying that although he didn't like it and although he needed her help, Damon wouldn't put Bonnie in danger. They weren't BFF'S or anything, but she was just as much family to him as Jeremy was, and if she wound up dead, it would kill Elena just as much, and that would kill Damon.

Elena opened her mouth to say something else but was thwarted by the front door of the Boarding House slamming open. Damon and Elena stood up immediately, Damon's arms outstretched in front of Elena protectively. It was only when the figure finally revealed themselves that both Damon and Elena relaxed, although they became so much more on edge.

"Stefan," Elena said, astonishment evident in her tone. Stefan nodded, a small smile on his face as he stepped forward. Elena couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. ever since she and Damon got married, she hasn't thought about Stefan that much but there were days that she wondered where he was or how he was doing, or even if he was alive. Needless to say, she wasn't sad to see him. "Hi," she finally said, a warm smile on her face.

"Elena," Stefan nodded in acknowledgment. "Damon," he added. Damon nodded back; his eyes narrowed slightly, pain evident in his ocean blue eyes. "It's good to see you both."

"It's good to see you too, Stefan…" Elena said softly. Elena took a small step forward in front of Damon to gently wrap her arms around her friend. Despite everything that they've been through together, there was once a time where she did love Stefan – she owed it to him to be the Elena everyone knew and loved; the Elena that could forgive his mistakes and move on.

"Hello brother," Damon finally greeted. Elena took a small sigh of relief that her husband wasn't completely shell shocked by the reappearance of his brother.

"It's been a while," Stefan acknowledged. Damon shrugged, indifference on his face as he folded his arms across his chest defensively. Elena took a deep breath and backed up, taking her place beside Damon. Almost instinctively, his defensive position diminished, his arms limp at his side. Elena gently laced her fingers through his, giving his hand a gentle squeeze out of encouragement.

"You skipped town after the wedding," Damon reminded his brother. Stefan nodded again; regret clear in his emerald eyes. "Where'd you go?" Damon asked, curiosity in his eyes.

"I travelled for a bit. Caught up with some of Lexi's friend in Mexico, and then I was in Europe for about a month…" Stefan paused slightly, his expression changing. Elena noticed this small difference, as she had experience with it in the past when he delivered bad news. "Katherine followed me."

"Score," Damon mumbled sarcastically, snaking his arm around Elena's waist almost instinctively. For some reason, this angered Elena and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. She could feel the difference of this touch than his other touches, and she didn't like it. She almost felt as if Damon was reminding Stefan that _he_ got the girl in the end, not Stefan. This thought unnerved Elena, insecurities trumping her logic and reason.

"Where's the bitch now?" Damon asked reluctantly, uninterested in the answer. This question isn't what brought Elena out of her thoughts. It was the blurred figure around the perimeter of where they stood that managed to take Elena out of her own world and throw her back into reality.

"The bitch is back," another voice said behind Stefan. Elena all but growled as her doppelganger sauntered into the room, a feisty smirk on her lips. "Miss me?"

_Things are about to get interesting again in Mystic Falls… ;) Don't forget to review! _


	10. Hope for the Hopeless

"What do you mean Katherine's back?" Caroline questioned. Elena nodded feebly, her gaze distant. She ran a hand through her brown hair before turning to look at her friend. Caroline's blue eyes were soft as she listened intently to her friend's woes. "What does she want?" Caroline wondered aloud, folding her arms across her chest.

"I don't know what Katherine wants. I don't know what Stefan wants. I don't know what Sabrina wants. I don't know what anyone wants!" Elena said as she threw her hands up in the air out of exasperation. Elena took a deep breath, her gaze turning serious as she watched the flames of the fireplace interact with each other. "I thought that with Klaus gone things would get better…" she said quietly.

"What does Damon say about all of this?" Bonnie asked quietly. Elena shrugged her shoulders, her brown eyes tired as she let out a deep sigh. It was obvious that whatever was going on in her life was physically draining Elena of the Petrova fire she once possessed. "I wish I could be more help to you," she said quietly, offering her friend a small smile.

"Bonnie, can't you like…contact the other side or something? Find out what the hell is going on?" Caroline asked hopefully. Bonnie took a deep breath, her gaze regretful as she shook her head. "Then we're back to square one…" Caroline mumbled, collapsing into the couch.

Elena took a deep breath, her hands flying to clutch her side as a vicious cramp found itself into her body. Her forehead furrowed together in pain, visibly wincing at the tiniest movement as she tried to make herself more comfortable. "What's wrong with you?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know," Elena said quietly before rubbing her torso. "I've been getting cramps off and on for about a week now. I think it's just the stress," she said hopefully, closing her eyes to wish away the pain. Bonnie and Caroline exchanged a look of confusion before Caroline was in front of Elena, her gaze soft and concerned.

"Do vampires get physical symptoms of stress?" Caroline asked quietly, her voice urgent as she patted Elena's shoulder out of reassurance. Bonnie shrugged her shoulders, a look of concern on her face as she looked at Elena's condition. She opened her mouth to voice a suggestion before Elena threw her head back in pain, unable to hold it in any longer. "When was the last time you fed?" Caroline asked urgently.

Elena's breathing was ragged as she tried to remember the last time she'd fed. "Two blood bags this morning…" Elena answered honestly. She winced again as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position. She was now clutching her stomach in pain as she lay in the fetal position on the couch. Bonnie nodded towards Caroline who blurred out of the room.

She came back moments later, another blood bag in her hand and offered it towards her friend. Elena offered Caroline a grateful smile as she took the bag from her hands. She tilted the bag towards her mouth, allowing the blood to soothe her body aches. Suddenly, the bag dropped from her hands and spilled all over the carpet. "Elena?" Caroline asked urgently as she took a deep breath. "Elena!" Caroline said again.

Elena's eyes were rolling in the back of her head as she clutched her torso in agony. She bit her bottom lip to hold back the scream that threatened to fall off the tip of her tongue. Before she could react, she instinctively hunched over the side of the couch, allowing her body to empty itself of its contents. Caroline's eyes widened in horror as Elena coughed up blood. Bonnie extended her hands immediately, trying to lessen the pain Elena was harboring. It was similar to the spell she'd done on Elena when Lucy tied Katherine and Elena's pain together, but it wasn't working.

"Is it Sabrina?" Caroline hissed.

"I'll go find out," Bonnie said urgently as she grabbed her purse. "Call Damon!" she said before getting out of the house as quickly as possible. Just as Caroline was about to dial Damon's number, she was interrupted by the sound of Stefan and Damon entering the boarding house.

"Elena?" Damon called out instinctively, unable to sense a difference in the atmosphere. Caroline took a breath of relief as she stroked Elena's hair, desperate to help her friend.

"In here!" Caroline called out. Damon's forehead furrowed together in confusion as he entered the living room. His eyes fell on the bloody carpet beside the couch before his gaze fell on the body on the couch.

"Elena!" Damon said urgently, flashing over and taking Elena in his arms. She winced in pain from the movement but just bit her lip again. Her breathing was ragged as she clutched her torso in pain. "What the hell happened?" he asked urgently, his eyes flashing towards Caroline.

"The three of us were just talking and then she started feeling sick," Caroline said quickly. "I…I tried to give her some blood and she had one sip but then she was coughing up blood!" Caroline explained, her voice cracking as she was on the brink of tears.

"Where's Bonnie?" Damon asked quickly, stroking Elena's hair and kissing her forehead as if it would somehow make everything better.

"She went to go find Sabrina."

Damon turned to Stefan, his gaze serious and his eyes wide with fear. "Go find Bonnie, help her with Sabrina. Go!" Damon growled, tightening his grip around Elena. He looked down at his wife, her brown eyes glistening with tears of despair as she clenched her teeth together. "You're gonna be fine, Elena. I promise, okay? Nothing is gonna happen to you!"

: :

"Did you find her?" Damon asked urgently when Bonnie and Stefan entered the boarding house half an hour later. Bonnie's face made it clear that their venture was successful, as her brown eyes were wide with concern.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of high heels across the wooden floors. Damon groaned as Katherine sauntered into the boarding house, a smirk on her face. She took in Elena's disheveled appearance in Damon's arms and smirked, folding her arms across her chest. "Well this is a new problem," Katherine commented before collapsing into one of the arm chairs.

It took everything Damon had not to leave Elena to rip Katherine's heart out. He didn't have the energy to fight with her right now; he needed to save his wife. His mind was racing. Vampires didn't get sick. They didn't reject blood. They didn't hold themselves together out of agony. They healed quickly. They were okay unless staked or chalked full of vervain.

"What the hell is going on?" a new voice asked. Damon didn't have to look up to know what the look would be on Jeremy Gilbert's face. Alaric followed suit but remained silent by the door, taking in the broken expressions of everyone. Bonnie crossed the room and fell into his arms before taking Arianna from him, holding her close to her. "Damon?" Jeremy asked, crossing the room. "What's happening?"

"We don't know," Caroline said gently, her voice regretful. She exchanged a look of pain with Stefan as his head hung low. Katherine looked around, her eyes narrowed. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she was just as curious about what was happening as the rest of them. "We can't find Sabrina anywhere and Bonnie's pain spell isn't working."

"It's like I'm blocked," Bonnie said defeatedly.

"Are you concentrating hard enough?" a new voice asked nonchalantly. All eyes fell on Sabrina as she sauntered into the Boarding House, and watched as she took a seat on a chair opposite Katherine. Katherine furrowed her forehead together in confusion as she began to stand up from her chair. Even from across the room, both Stefan and Damon saw something flicker across Katherine's eyes as she looked at the witch – it was recognition.

"Sabrina?" Katherine asked incredulously. "You have…aged," she said quietly. Sabrina smirked lightly before flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. Caroline fought to contain the gasp of surprise that was about to fall from her mouth. The hair flip was _her_ thing. Before Sabrina could answer, she was thrown against the wall, Damon's hands around her throat. f

"What did you do to her?" he growled angrily. Sabrina rolled her eyes, a smirk on her lips and suddenly, Damon's hands were burning again like they did when he touched her in Vegas. She smirked at him and straightened her clothes off before her gaze fell on Elena.

"What happened to her?" she wondered, confusion in her voice.

"Save the innocent speech for someone who will listen, alright fake Blondie?" Caroline shot out. "Whatever you did to Elena, _fix__it_."

The look that flashed across Sabrina's face was something that everyone would have never expected – confusion. "I didn't do anything to her," Sabrina said. Damon's forehead furrowed together in confusion as he flashed across the room to take Elena in his arms again.

"Vampires don't get sick. They don't reject blood. They don't hold their torsos in agony. What the hell did you do to her?" Damon asked again, his teeth clenched together. As Stefan stood on the other side of the room, he was shell shocked. He didn't know what to think. How did Katherine know Sabrina? What was going on with Elena? Sabrina seemed genuinely confused by the revelation that Elena was unwell. Maybe she really didn't have anything to do with it.

Realization flashed across Sabrina's face. She blinked back her surprise in an attempt to neutralize her facial expression. She took a deep breath and folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowed as she stared at Elena before looking at Bonnie. "Your spells probably aren't working because you're a little rusty," the blonde pointed out.

Bonnie bit her lip out of sadness, her hand falling over her flat stomach. It had thrown both Bonnie and Jeremy for a loophole when they went for their checkup and the baby didn't have a heartbeat. That was over a month ago, and Bonnie hasn't had the strength to practice witchcraft since. Sabrina was right, she was rusty. "There hasn't been a reason for me to use magic!" Bonnie tried to defended.

"Well now there is, and your spells still aren't working," Sabrina pointed out as she folded her arms across her chest. Damon growled and ran a hand through his hair, his body on the brink of a breakdown as he held Elena's weakening body in his arms. "Sucks being a doppelganger," Sabrina added. "All the crappy stuff happens to you."

"Fix her!" Damon growled again. Katherine's forehead furrowed together as she nonchalantly made her way over to the desk in the corner. Her fingers curled around a skinny object as she clasped it her hand. "Vampires aren't supposed to be acting like this! What the hell is going on?"

Katherine flashed across the room suddenly and ripped Elena's hand away from hugging her torso. Before Damon could stop Katherine, she was running a letter opener across the palm of Elena's hand.

Elena screeched in pain as the blood began to drip through her fingers. Damon didn't waste any time as Katherine was thrown across the room. She got up effortlessly, her hands on her hips as she dusted herself off. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Damon asked, his eyes blazing with anger while Caroline went to help Elena.

"Look at her hand!" Katherine almost yelled, her brown eyes wide with fury. "It's not healing!" she continued. Damon followed Katherine's gaze as Elena was crying profusely on Caroline's lap while Caroline gingerly put pressure on the fresh wound. Realization and horror along with confusion flashed across Bonnie's face, a gasp leaving her lips, her eyes never leaving Elena.

"It's not healing because she's human," Bonnie finished, her voice weak. "Elena's human again."

: :

"This is so cliché," Damon muttered as he took a seat by Elena's bed. She offered him a weak smile before her eyes fluttered to a close, her head hitting the soft pillow in hopes of rest. He took her hand and offered her a small smile of support. Although he didn't show it, he was scared. He was scared for Elena. He didn't know what was happening to her and he didn't know why but if Bonnie was right, and if she was human again, then something was going on inside her human body.

He reached his hand up to stroke her hair, earning a sigh of contentment escaping Elena's lips. Even through her exhaustion, she still managed to be the most beautiful thing in his world. He felt as though the minutes were passing by so slowly. All he wanted was to know what was going on with his human-turned-vampire-turned-human-again-wife so he could take her home.

"Mr. Salvatore?" a voice called from behind him. Damon didn't get up; he only offered the doctor a half smirk as she entered the room. "I'm Dr. Morrison," she introduced herself. Damon nodded out of acknowledgment, his eyes never leaving Elena. Her brown eyes fluttered open ever so slightly, as she fought to stay awake. A smile fell on the doctor's face as she looked at Elena. "Hi Elena," she said warmly. "I'm Dr. Morrison."

"Hi," Elena said, her voice barely a whisper. The doctor looked at her chart, and then her gaze averted between Damon and Elena. "What is it?" she croaked.

"You're lucky your husband brought you here when he did, otherwise we might have risked losing both you and the baby. Have you been taking your prenatal vitamins?" she asked. Damon could feel the color draining from his face as his words got lodged in his throat. Elena's heart began to crash inside her chest, her eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall.

"What baby?" Elena choked out, her voice shaky. She exchanged a look with Damon that deciphered what they were both thinking. It was all impossible. This had to be a dream. It was only last month she met a new witch bitch that threatened to turn their worlds upside down. It was only last month her doppelganger returned to town along with her ex-boyfriend slash brother in law. It was only last month her brother and her best friend had lost their unborn baby.

Dr. Morrison looked at her charts before her gaze fell on Elena again, confusion in her eyes and in her tone. "You're pregnant," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You…you didn't know?"

Damon rolled his eyes, as he squeezed Elena's hand. "Yeah, cause these are the faces of two people in the know," Damon said sarcastically. He had no idea how it was even possible. Elena's mysterious illness only fell upon her this morning, and now suddenly he was going to be a father? "Are you sure she's pregnant?" Damon asked quietly.

"Unless she had a really big lunch today then yes, I'm sure she's pregnant. According to the ultra-sound and multiple tests we've ran, I estimate she's about six weeks along," Dr. Morrison closed her chart, a warm and friendly smile on her face. "I will write you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Now that you're pregnant, you need to start eating all the right things, drink plenty of fluids. I recommend a lot of rest and try to keep your stress level as low as possible. We'll book another appointment for you to see me in about six weeks and then we'll see how everything's moving along."

"So when you say pregnant do you mean like…a human…baby…thing?" Damon questioned, his gaze distant. Dr. Morrison held the chart to her chest as her eyes narrowed at the husband of the woman in shock. "I'm not drunk, I'm not on drugs…but like…when you say pregnant…there's no chance that it's like…you know…gas or something…"

"Mr. Salvatore," Dr. Morrison said. "I've only been doing this for ten years but I'm almost certain your wife is growing another human being. Unless she was abducted by aliens, you're going to be a father!" Damon swallowed hard, his gaze continuously distant as he looked at the floor, incredulity in his eyes. Dr. Morrison took a deep breath as she pulled her pen out from her lab coat before writing on a piece of paper from her pocket. "I'm gonna give you my number. If you have any questions, _please_call me," she said before leaving the room.

Damon stood there, his gaze distant as he remained shell shocked. Elena let out a breath of disbelief, her eyes immediately falling on her torso. Her eyes stung with both shed and unshed tears as she ran her hand over her flat stomach.

He didn't know what to think. He didn't want to be happy – because usually when he was happy, the universe found some way to screw things up. He didn't understand what was happening to him or to Elena. She was a vampire this morning and now she's a pregnant human. He didn't understand why he wasn't human too.

But most of all, he wondered what he ever did to deserve Elena carrying his child.

_**Review.** (: _


	11. Show Me How to Live

**AN:**_Yay! Finally another chapter. I'm so sorry for the long wait. I have so many thoughts and ideas and plans for this story so sometimes it's hard to decide where to start. Anyways, I'm sorry for the long wait, and I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter! Like I promised, things are going to get interesting in Mystic Falls. Also, check out my new AU/AH Delena fic. It's titled "Lights Will Guide You Home." Enjoy! _

: :

"What are you thinking?" Damon murmured, breaking the silence that had enveloped them. Neither of them had said a word since they had left the hospital. Elena's head rested against the glass on the passenger side of the car, her gaze following the towering trees down the familiar roads back home. Damon had loosened and tightened his grip on the steering wheel time and time again since they left, as he had so many emotions coursing through his body. He fought to keep his composure, for fear of stressing out Elena but he didn't know how to handle himself.

Elena didn't know how to handle herself either. It was only that same morning that she was a vampire, and now she was an expectant human. Up until now, she was a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. That's not to say that she didn't believe this now, but she couldn't help but wonder fearfully what the reason behind this sudden change in mortality. She had so many questions, none of which anyone could answer.

She took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair, her gaze remaining on the road as she avoided eye contact with Damon. She feared that if she so much as locked gazes with him for a moment, all her walls would crumble down around her and she would put herself in a situation she wouldn't know how to get out of.

"I'm thinking about whether or not we should tell anyone," Elena admitted. Damon's hands tightened around the steering wheel, his forehead furrowing together in confusion. Elena let out a shaky breath before twiddling her thumbs together on her lap. "Jeremy and Bonnie lost their baby only last month. Obviously there's something more going on than just the miracle of life," she continued. "I don't want to get my hopes up for anything."

Damon understood where Elena was coming from. This was the selfless side of her that he both loved and hated. "You're too much of a martyr sometimes," Damon reminded her almost incoherently. Elena let out an incredulous chuckle, inevitably bringing Damon out of his silent bubble. He looked at her briefly before her weak smile faded just as quickly as it had come, turning his attention back to the road.

: :

"What's taking them so long?" Caroline wondered aloud, her gaze confused as she looked for words of encouragement from anyone. Bonnie shrugged her shoulders while Alaric patted Jeremy on the shoulder in a feeble attempt to comfort the son he'd never had. Katherine was filing her nails by the fireplace while Sabrina was reading a Cosmo magazine. Stefan stood in front of the fireplace, his arms across his chest and his eyebrows furrowed together, concern and confusion evident in his emerald green eyes.

"Speak of the devils," Katherine murmured, gesturing her hand to the front door. A relieved smile fell on Caroline's face as she flashed to the front door, wrapping her arms around the small frame of her human-again best friend. Katherine rolled her eyes as everyone, one by one, greeted the not-so-happy couple.

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked once he finally got to Elena. Elena fought for her composure as she gingerly wrapped her arms around Jeremy. Although he didn't show it, Jeremy was on the brink of tears himself. He'd already lost so much, and the thought of something being fatally wrong with Elena was too much to even consider.

"Damon?" Stefan questioned, his gaze concerning. Damon shook his head, his eyes communicating something that only Stefan could understand. Stefan nodded curtly before taking a small step back, an indication that he would talk to his brother later.

"I'm fine," Elena said somewhat truthfully. She ran her fingers nervously through her hair before folding her arms across her chest. She took a deep breath, a weak smile on her face as she looked at her family. Damon's heart began to ache at the weak smile she was giving everyone, as it was a look he knew all too well. It was a look she got when she was human, when the stress of the impending sacrifice weighed heavily on her – it was the look she got when Elena was ready to give up. "I'm gonna go upstairs and get some rest. I'm really tired," she continued.

Caroline let out an annoyed huff, her eyebrows raised expectantly while Bonnie and Jeremy exchanged a look. Alaric looked to Damon, silently offering him a nod of encouragement. "That's it?" Katherine asked, her voice on the brink of annoyed and amused. "You wake up a vampire, dearly die a human, come back and you're tired? What aren't you telling us?"

"Shut up Katherine," Damon said curtly. Katherine threw her hands up in mock surrender, a snicker falling from her lips as her eyes sparkled with curious amusement. It took nearly everything Damon had not to grab the stake he kept in his leather jacket and put it through her stomach, just because he can. But he wouldn't, because Katherine was impulsive – and Elena was fragile – and Katherine doesn't have a soft spot for her doppelganger.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Caroline huffed. "But Katherine's right. What aren't you telling us?" Caroline questioned. Damon rolled his eyes and Stefan shook his head towards Caroline, a silent indication to quit while she's ahead. Naturally, she didn't listen as she continued, her worried gaze on Elena.

"What's going on, Elena?" Jeremy murmured, concern evident in her younger brother's voice. Against her better judgment, Elena began to feel angry. She nearly felt something snap inside of her. She could feel her heart beginning to race in her chest, something that wasn't lost on the vampire hearing in the room. She took a deep breath in an attempt to steady her emotions and her voice before she spoke.

"I'm fine," Elena repeated. It was obvious to Damon that she was on the edge of a breakdown, as the usual sparkles in her doe eyes had faded away. He took a deep breath, a fake smirk on his face as he silently opened the front door to the boarding house. "Like I said, I'm just gonna get some rest. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Wait, what?" Bonnie asked incredulously.

"That's Elena's kind way of asking you to leave," Damon interjected, his eyes flashing briefly. Bonnie folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing towards Damon out of anger before she exchanged a look with Jeremy. "We appreciate the concern, but she's fine." Bonnie, Jeremy and Caroline looked to Elena for clarification, to which Elena responded with a curt nod.

"I'll go get the baby," Bonnie murmured before turning to head up the stairs. Caroline offered her friend a small smile before wrapping her arms around her small frame, a frame that has broken too many times.

"Call me, okay?" Caroline whispered, almost desperately. Elena nodded against her friends embrace, fighting her instincts to break down. "Damon," Caroline nodded as she walked out the door, but not before flipping her blonde curls in Damon's face. He fought back a growl as Elena just shook her head, ghosted amusement on her expression. He let it go.

"Elena," Katherine said nicely. Elena rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, an expectant look in her eyes. "Don't call me," she said simply.

"You, Katherine, can get the hell out…" Damon said rudely, a smirk on his lips as he leaned against the still open door. Katherine rolled her eyes and left the house in a very Caroline matter, flipping her brunette curls in Damon's face.

"You'd tell me if something was going on, right?" Jeremy questioned, his voice barely a whisper. Elena recognized a level of vulnerability that surfaced one too many times, as he'd lost so many people. She nodded, unable to trust her voice at the broken expression in his eyes. He instinctively wrapped his arms around his sister, a feeble attempt to offer her some strength that he was barely holding onto.

Thankfully, as if the universe knew he needed a smile – Bonnie descended the stairs, a bright eyed and bushy tailed Arianna in her arms. "Sabrina left after you guys did," Bonnie explained as she handed her daughter to Jeremy. "Elena," Bonnie said tentatively. "Whatever's going on with you, you're not going through it alone, okay?" she reluctantly turned to Damon, her expression softening microscopically. "Neither of you," she said awkwardly.

"Duly noted," Damon said quietly. Elena offered her husband a small smile, as it wasn't lost on her the effort it must've taken for him to genuinely thank Bonnie in his own way, without any sarcasm tainting his words.

"Thank you," Elena said kindly, wrapping her arms around her childhood friend. Bonnie nodded in understanding before lacing her fingers through Jeremy's and exiting the front door. Alaric was next, his hands shoved in his pockets as he stood there, unsure of what to say to his best friend and the closest thing he'd ever have to a daughter. Instead, he did the only thing he could think of. He tentatively wrapped his arms around Elena's small frame. She returned the gesture, relishing in the brief moment of parental concern.

She would be eternally grateful for Alaric. He'd been the closest thing she had to a father for years, and she had been an amazing friend to Damon, even when he didn't deserve it. Although he never said it, she knew that Jeremy and herself were the closet thing he had to kids, and he would treat them like so. For that, she was thankful.

"Bye Ric," Elena said quietly, patting his back as he relinquished his hold on her. He nodded curtly before standing in front of Damon awkwardly. Damon offered Alaric a nod of acknowledgment while Alaric shook Damon's hand out of encouragement. In a lot of ways, Alaric was like a father to Alaric. He often had drunken words of wisdom, and he put his two cents in when it wasn't wanted. He put Damon in his place when necessary and looked out for both of their safeties. He was an essential member of the Gilbert-Salvatore family, and everyone knew it.

Elena was teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown, as she shoved her hands into her pockets. Her breath was shaky and her heart was racing as she pictured the walls closing in around her and her unborn baby. She barely noticed Stefan's presence until he coughed awkwardly. She didn't oblige to him staying, as she didn't have anymore fight left in her.

"Thanks for sticking around, Stefan…" Elena said quickly. She turned to Damon, an exhaustion expression reflecting in her eyes as she blinked back the tears that had been threatening to fall since this morning. "I'm gonna get some rest," she said quietly before turning around and heading upstairs.

Stefan waited until Elena was out of earshot before turning towards his brother, an anxious expression on his face. Damon closed the front door, exhaling anxiously before folding his arms across his chest. "What do you need?" Stefan asked suddenly. Damon opened his mouth to tell his brother to stick his fake help where the sun doesn't shine, but he couldn't. He felt numb. He felt like there was a never shrinking lump in his throat that only grew larger when talking about feelings with anyone else other than Elena.

Stefan took a small step forward, a ghost of a genuine human Stefan smile on his face. He took a deep breath before shoving his hands into his pockets. "Look, Damon…" he began. "I know that I'm not brother of the year or anything, and I know that things are never going to be the way they were. Too much has changed but it doesn't change the fact that you're my big brother, and that makes Elena my family. Whatever is going on with the two of you, whatever you aren't saying, don't go classic Damon on her and shut her out. I don't know what's going on, but I know her well enough to know that she needs you now more than ever, even if she doesn't know it herself."

"Are you the Elena whisperer now?" Damon scoffed, a feeble attempt to hide his emotions for the umpteenth time. Stefan let out a shaky chuckle, incredulity followed by pain reflecting in his eyes. It pained him to see how desperate his brother was to hide his emotions, even after all this time. "Thanks," Damon said awkwardly after a few minutes.

"I'll probably be staying in town for a while," Stefan explained. "Call me if either of you need anything."

"Wait, where are you staying?" Damon questioned involuntarily.

"Hotel," Stefan answered quickly. Damon nodded awkwardly, the thought of his grown little brother staying at a hotel made him feel oddly sorry. It's not like Stefan couldn't hold his own, it just seemed a little peculiar and silly to be staying at a hotel when he technically helped put the Salvatore in Salvatore Boarding House. "Elena's probably waiting for you," Stefan added. Damon nodded, his ears perking up for any sign of movement. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks, brother. I never thought I'd say this but…it's nice to have you back," Damon said awkwardly. Stefan laughed outwardly, patting his brother on the back before flashing out of the house. "Don't go spreading that around!" he called after his little brother. "Idiot," he murmured.

: :

"All the troops leave?" Elena questioned as Damon entered their bedroom. He found her lying on her side, her body molding into the mattress. Her gaze was distant as her arm was tucked under her head. Her eyes were tired and her body was limp, as if she was allowing the weight of the world to press upon her small body. Damon walked tentatively to his side of the bed before lying on his side, facing her. He mirrored her position as he lay beside her, his arm tucked under his head as well.

"Afraid so," Damon murmured. "Now you're stuck with me." Elena offered him a weak smile before her face contorted into sheer agony. He remained silent while she allowed the tears to flow freely down her face. He moved his hand to cradle her cheek, his thumb gently brushing against the silky skin, catching a fallen tear.

"What if we lose it?" she whimpered. For obvious reasons, Elena was afraid. What she wasn't telling Damon was that this is everything she never knew she always wanted. Growing up, she knew that she wanted to get fall in love, get married and have a family. It was practically textbook. What she wasn't counting on was the sheer volume of insanity her every day life was, including what seemed to be the second immaculate conception.

"We won't," Damon whispered. Elena chuckled lightly, a specific memory resurfacing from the day of the sacrifice. It was less than two years ago that Damon was a crazy, impulsive vampire in love with his brother's girl and she was just a girl fighting to see another day. it seemed like another lifetime ago, and in a lot of ways, it was.

"My dreams are coming true," Elena whispered. She sniffled lightly, her gaze averting between her stomach and Damon's face until finally, she and Damon locked gazes. "Dreams I never knew I had," she continued. "But at what cost?"

Damon's breath hitched in his throat, unable to find the right words to comfort this phenomenal human in his arms. He loved her so much, and he would do anything to keep her dream alive. His dreams came true a long time ago, the day Elena decided that he was more than a vampire. His dreams came true the day that she told him that she loved him too, and the day she agreed to be his forever, in every sense of the term.

"I don't know, Elena but I can promise you one thing. Nothing will happen to you or our baby," he whispered with conviction.

Elena let out a quiet laugh of disbelief. Damon could faintly see the return of the sparkle in her eyes he loved so much. "_Our __baby_," she repeated. They remained silent for a few more minutes, relishing in the feeling and the possibility their once bleak future held for them. It was full of so many impossibilities and possibilities, so much promise and hope.

Elena shifted, her head instinctively resting on Damon's chest. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, his other hand draping over her waist, inevitably pulling her closer. Her hand was clutching the material of his shirt over his heart, as if she was holding on to the last sliver of strength he offered her. They fell asleep like that, locked in each other's embrace, sleeping away the day and hoping for a better tomorrow.

_**please review! **_


	12. The Worst Day Since Yesterday

Elena took a deep breath in an attempt to steady her emotions. Damon remained silent, his arms folded across his chest as he watched Elena waddle over to the couch. It had been six months since they discovered they were going to have a family, and in those six months – Damon was never more grateful that she wasn't a vampire. He couldn't even imagine how he would deal with her hormones if her emotions were heightened to the degree of a vampire. The thought itself was enough to make him wish he had a stake fro himself.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Damon. I'm considering divorce…" she said quietly, attempting to keep her voice even. Damon stood in front of her, his eyes wide with bewilderment. She glared up at him, her beautiful chocolate brown eyes shooting daggers towards him.

"I love you too, honey…" Damon replied sarcastically, an amused smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. Elena rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair, an annoyed huff escaping her lips. "Alright, I'll bite. What did I do this time?"

"You know what you did," Elena spat out – her tone low and accusatory. His forehead furrowed together in confusion. He met her gaze, anxious for her to go on. she let out a big sigh, her arms folded across her chest and resting on her growing belly. "That was an awfully long phone conversation don't you think?" she questioned.

Damon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Blondie wanted to see how you were doing," he explained coolly. Elena's eyes widened as she quickly grabbed the closest pillow, inevitably whacking Damon over the head with it. "Have you lost your mind?" Damon shouted, his eyes flashing angrily. "What the hell was that for?"

"Do you think that because I'm pregnant I'm suddenly stupid? I know what that conversation was," Elena narrowed her eyes, her index finger extended as she threw accusations at Damon. "You were calling her for a booty call! Apparently you didn't get enough of her when you first came to town!"

Damon suppressed a growl as he folded his hand over hers, putting her finger back into her palm. He took a deep breath, running his fingers through his own raven black hair. He knew this was just the hormones talking, but it was annoying just the same. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the sheer stupidity of the latest accusation her hormones have cooked up. Oh the joys of having a pregnant wife.

"You caught me," Damon said suddenly. "You know when you heard me asking if she has spoken to Stefan lately? Yeah, I was secretly saying to her _'__Cool story. Give me an hour to ditch my beautiful, pregnant wife and meet you at the grill. We'll get smashed, share sob stories and then hook up. Sound good to you?'_ Elena, I'm a lot of things – but a cheater isn't one of them. A little more credit and faith in our marriage would have been appreciated."

Elena brought her legs up to her chest instinctively as she wrapped her arms around her knees. The tears that were building up behind her eyes were finally spilling over. She knew that she was being unreasonable and irrational, but in all honesty – she was six months pregnant and she wasn't feeling her sexiest.

It didn't take long for Damon to be seated beside her on the couch, his arms wrapped around her shaking frame, his hand on her knee. He pulled her closer, a routine. She would yell at him, he would say something stupid and sarcastic, she would cry, he would hold her and they would laugh about it less than two hours later.

Elena clutched onto his shirt, crying hysterically into his chest. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I understand if you don't love me anymore…" she whimpered. Damon rolled his eyes although he continued to soothe his wife. He thought he was crazy, but he loved moments like these – moments where he could just hold his human, pregnant wife. It was so human. Mundane. Normal.

"Elena Gilbert Salvatore," Damon whispered tentatively. "I have never loved you more," he said with a genuine smile. Elena retreated from his embrace slightly, a weak smile on her lips. But his smile – it was _her _smile. The one he reserved only for her and her alone. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, and it still made her heart sing.

She let out an incredulous chuckle as she pulled down her sleeves over her hands to wipe her cheeks. "Why?" she whimpered, holding back a fresh stream of tears she could feel ready to fall. "I'm hormonal and annoying, and don't even get me started on my weight."

"Alright, so you're a little on the pudgy side. You're pregnant; it'd be weird if you shrunk in size. You're only annoying when you're hormonal, and it'll pass in another three months. None of this bothers me; I put up with your mood swings because the pregnancy is just one part of it all. I'm gonna have _you_ back, the real you, for the rest of my life and at the end of it all; we're gonna be parents. So I can handle your mood swings and your strange accusations."

"Worst pep talk ever," Elena grumbled. Damon shrugged lightly as he pulled Elena further into his embrace. He placed his lips gently on hers. Her hands went instinctively to cradle his face as he deepened the kiss. "I love you," she mumbled on his lips. He smiled against her lips before pulling away gently. She whimpered immediately from the loss of contact before she let out a gasp. His eyes widened immediately, both out of confusion and self satisfaction.

"Elena, if you want my body – all you have to do is ask," he mumbled before attempting to return to kiss her. She shook her head immediately, her eyes wide with surprise as he noticed tears welling up behind her eyes. "Elena?" he asked, suddenly alarmed. She shook her head again, grabbing his hand quickly. Damon looked at her with confusion until suddenly; she placed his hand on her growing belly. His eyes widened with amazement, a genuine smile falling on his features.

Their baby was kicking.

"That was a big one," Elena whispered as she gazed lovingly at her stomach and then her gaze locking with Damon's. He bent down to kiss her belly before planting a gentle kiss on Elena's lips. "That's our baby," she said quietly, awe evident in her tone and gaze.

"I love you," he whispered before he rubbed her stomach lovingly. "Both of you."

: :

After Damon and Elena felt their baby kick for the first time, it somehow made the situation more real. Elena wasn't just fat – she was pregnant, and she was carrying a baby. _Their_ baby. Her mood swings all but disappeared and was replaced with sheer happiness and adoration. She took a deep breath, intent on the book in her lap.

"Baby names, huh?" Damon questioned as he sauntered into the living room, inevitably bringing her feet onto his lap to massage them. It was a routine for them, a habit he'd picked up a long time ago and it was one of the perks during her pregnancy.

"What tipped you off?" she teased, holding the book in front of her face. Damon chuckled under his breath at her feeble attempt to be sarcastic. He was way better at sarcasm than she was, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl or even if it's human…" Damon reminded her, a smirk on his face. Elena rolled her eyes before she put the book down on her lap, her hand gently caressing her stomach.

"I'm aware of that, _thank __you __very __much_…" she said sarcastically, a smirk playing at the edge of her lips. She took a deep breath, her gaze on her stomach. "What do you think it'll be?" she wondered, imaging the different possibilities.

Without hesitation, Damon answered. "A boy. Salvatore's _always_have boys. We don't even need a baby naming book. When he gets here, we'll call him Damon Jr. It's inevitable…" he confirmed. Elena chuckled lightly, her eyes narrowed questioningly as she folded her arms across her chest. She tilted her head to the side, an eyebrow raised incredulously and a small smile on her lips.

"And what if we have a girl?" she challenged.

"Salvatore's produce boys. If we have a girl, I'll want a paternity test…" Damon said nonchalantly. Elena couldn't help but chuckle as she playfully smacked Damon's shoulder, although her touch was feather light, he feigned pain anyway. She moved her feet from his lap, shaking her head playfully as she begun to walk over to the stairs. Her breath hitched in her throat suddenly as she got a full view of his butt.

"Damon!" Elena chastised, her fists colliding with his backside. She didn't know whether to laugh or scream, as she was pregnant and her husband had just thrown her over his shoulder. "Put me down this instant!" Elena warned. Damon rolled his eyes as he continued to walk up the stairs nonchalantly.

"Or what?" he challenged. Elena rolled her eyes, completely unappreciating when Damon called her bluff. She stopped attempting to punch him, as her strength was no match for his own. He set her down once they reached the landing and she automatically folded her arms across her chest, a scowl on her face. "Oh come on, pouty. At least give me two points for ingenuity."

She shook her head out of amusement and exhaustion as she turned around to walk towards their bedroom. She was once again thwarted by being thrust against the wall, Damon's body against hers. She let out a gasp of surprise until suddenly his lips were on hers. She kissed him back feverishly until he pulled away; his lips moving to her collar bone, neck, cheek…anywhere available skin, his lips were on it.

"Damon!" Elena chastised, although she really didn't want him to stop.

"Do you have somewhere to be, Mrs. Salvatore?" he teased, his breath hot on her ear.

"Well if it's alright with you, I was going to go and have a warm bubble bath…" Elena breathed, inevitably losing her train of thought as Damon's lips touched hers again. He pulled away, her heart aching immediately from the loss of contact as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"And you didn't invite me?" he questioned, a pout finding its way on his features. Elena's eyes widened momentarily before her gaze fell on the floor. His forehead furrowed together in confusion as he cupped her chin with his hands, his gaze intense as he willed her to look at him. "What's wrong?" he asked genuinely.

"Damon," Elena said tentatively. "I'm six months pregnant. I don't exactly look my best. I didn't…I thought…well…I assumed that you wouldn't want me…_that __way_…until at least after the baby is born…" she said quietly. She could feel the heat flood rush to her cheeks, tears welling up in her eyes. Suddenly, she was in his arms again. He was holding her in a way that gave her no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck as he crashed his lips onto hers.

She was disappointed when her butt collided with a hard surface rather than the familiar cushioning of their bed. Damon disentangled himself from Elena's embrace before gently pressing his lips against hers once more. This kiss was less feverish. It was chaste, but full of so much love and adoration.

Her breath hitched in her throat when Damon looked at her, his blue eyes gazing at her with such adoration that it made her heart ache. He turned around, her forehead knitting together in confusion until he began to draw her bath. Minutes passed and he stopped the water, dipping his hand in the full bathtub to check the temperature – not too cold for Elena, not too hot for the baby.

He flashed out of the room and returned seconds later, Elena's favorite shorts and tank top in one hand along with his sweats in the other. It was then that his hands chastely moved to the hem of the shirt she was currently wearing. He pulled it over her head, his eyes training on her perfect body that was now round with his child. His hands moved to her sweat pants, sliding them off of her perfect legs. She blushed lightly under the intensity of his gaze, as she didn't find herself comfortably naked around him for a while.

Elena took a deep breath as her hands moved to the hem of his black t-shirt. She pulled that over his head, her breath hitching in her throat at the sight of his perfectly sculpted chest. Her nimble fingers then shakily unzipped his pants, shrugging them off of his tall legs. Elena removed her own bra and took off her underwear while Damon took off his own underwear. They were now standing there in silence – completely naked and Elena couldn't help but smile at her husband.

He got into the bathtub first, his gaze caressing her body. She blushed again before getting into the tub and settling herself between his legs, her back against his bare chest. He wrapped his arms around her belly and she leaned into his embrace. "You're beautiful," Damon whispered after a few minutes of silence. "I love you. You know that, don't you?"

"I do," Elena whispered back. She took a deep breath, wiping her face in a feeble attempt to make the tears she was shedding less real. He only tightened his hold around her, his head nestling between the crook of her neck and her shoulder as he planted chaste kisses on the skin there. They sat like that for a while, locked in each other's embrace, surrounded by candles and bubbles. For a minute, Elena forgot that she was pregnant and gaining weight by the minute and that there was peculiarities surrounding her pregnancy. She was just a girl, locked in her husband's embrace.

They emerged from the bathtub about half an hour later, once the water started to get too chilly for comfort. Damon was out first, planting a light kiss on her forehead as he silently was made aware she needed a minute alone with her thoughts. She smiled gently at him as she carefully got out of the tub herself moments later.

She emerged from the bathroom to find Damon lying in bed, the comforter down to his hips, revealing his perfect chest. Elena had to remind herself how to breathe before the realization fell upon her that this man was hers and hers alone. She was allowed to keep him forever, and she was allowed to stare at him like that.

Damon instinctively opened his arms, allowing Elena to crawl into bed next to him and nestle herself comfortably in his safe and warm embrace. She rested her head routinely on his bare chest, her hand draping haphazardly over his waist while he stroked her long brown locks.

They fell asleep like that, like they always did. Locked comfortably in each other's embrace, not a care in the world. Her human heart racing with every touch, his heart aching with every smile she reserved only for him. Sometimes, he wondered how it was possible to love someone so much. But then he always looked at her, the harsh reminder that it was possible to love someone so much. Because he loved her that much.

: :

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Damon questioned for the umpteenth time. Elena rolled her eyes but softened her gaze at the sight of sincerity reflecting in Damon's eyes. She nodded, her hands moving to either side of his face to look him in the eye. "I can tell Alaric to go by himself…"

"Alaric doesn't know the details," Elena reminded him. "Nobody does. Nobody has even heard of this because there's never been anything like you and me. I'll be fine, you're only going for the day…" she added thoughtfully. Damon was planning on going to Duke with Alaric that day. They had hoped to talk to Vanessa, or someone else Isobel had worked with to get information about their peculiar situation.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Damon teased, a feeble attempt to hide the anxiety in his voice. Elena chuckled lightly, standing on her tip toes to brush her lips gently against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, Elena returning the gesture by tightening her embrace around his broad shoulders. Damon instinctively buried his face in her hair, Elena smiling against his perfect chest. "I love you."

"I love you," Elena said quietly. Even with the minimal volume, it was obvious to Damon, the amount of conviction in her voice. Damon was the first to pull away. Unbeknownst to Damon, she was fighting back tears as she didn't want to be separated from him. Despite the fact that it would only be a day, she knew she would miss him – more than someone should have to miss another. "Drive safely."

Damon nodded and without another word, he flashed out the door. Elena took a deep breath and waddled over to the front window, her hand instinctively caressing her stomach as she waved goodbye, watching Damon get into Alaric's car. She watched the car drive out of sight and right on queue, her phone was buzzing, indicating a new text message. She let out an incredulous chuckle as she picked up her phone, smiling at the screen.

"_Miss __me, __yet?__"_ – Damon.

Just as she was about to reply, she was distracted by a blinding pain ripping through her abdomen. She shrieked out of sheer agony, clutching her stomach instinctively as she fell to the ground. Her breathing was becoming ragged as she placed her hand on her thigh in an attempt to steady the pain she was feeling. It was then that she felt something unfamiliar trickle down her thighs.

Elena couldn't bring herself to look at what was happening to her body, as her shaky hands instinctively reached for her phone. She quickly started to hyperventilate as she pressed the familiar speed dial number.

"Hello?" Damon picked up almost instantly, his velvet voice bringing a sense of comfort and anxiety she wasn't ready to deal with. She opened her mouth to speak, but was paralyzed with fear. "Elena?" he asked, his voice turning urgent. "Elena, are you there?" he wondered, his voice becoming tainted with anxiety. "Elena, talk to me. Elena…"

"Damon," she choked out. "I think…I think…I'm..mis…miscarrying…"

And then everything went black.

**Feedback is love.  
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	13. Believe Me, I'm Lying

**A/N:** _Thanks for your reviews on my previous chapter. I know you guys don't like cliffhangers - but that's what keeps a story interesting. On that note, I'm giving you fair warning...expect a fair amount of cliffhangers in my story. Please review!_

The incessant beeping is a sound that was all too familiar to her. She'd heard it for weeks following the accident with her parents. She had heard it after Caroline's car accident. She had heard it too many times, and the sound was too familiar and yet this is the sound she found herself waking up to. Her eyes fluttered open, her eyes training on the room. All she could see was white – white floors, white walls.

Panic started to rise within her, something that the beeping monitors picked up as they had begun to go haywire. "Damon?" she whispered hoarsely, her eyes anxiously looking around the room.

"I'm right here, baby…" his familiar voice cooed. Elena looked up, her gaze locking with his ocean blue eyes as he offered her a small smile. He leaned forward, brushing her hair behind her ear and then kissing her forehead. "I'm right here," he whispered again. Elena nodded in understanding, her eyes beginning to sting with a mixture of exhaustion and unshed tears.

"Hey Elena," another voice said. Elena's gaze averted to the door where Dr. Morrison stood, a small smile on her features. Elena didn't have the strength to return the gesture, and so she only looked at Damon.

"What happened?" Elena croaked out, not interested in small talk. Her gaze was averting between Damon and the doctor, her eyes wide with desperation and information. The doctor took a deep breath, clutching the clipboard to her chest. Anxieties begun to catch up to her again, as she recognized that look too well.

"You have a condition called placenta previa," Dr. Morrison said calmly. Elena's forehead furrowed together in confusion, not completely understanding the medical terminology. "It's a condition where the placenta grows in the lowest part of the uterus and covers all or most of the opening of the cervix. We managed to stop the bleeding but this condition can be quite severe. The mother's with this condition often risk infection, blood clots, hemorrhaging and sometimes death…"

"Don't sugarcoat it, Doc…" Damon grumbled sarcastically. Elena squeezed his hand lightly, a gesture almost unrecognizable from the lack of strength Elena was harboring. He took a deep breath, his eyes on his wife as she nodded towards the doctor for her to continue.

"The safest thing for you and your baby would be for you to stay on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy," Dr. Morrison said calmly. All Elena could do was nod. She didn't understand what she did to deserve this. She wondered if this was some sort of universal punishment because she married a vampire. Or maybe it was because she didn't give a warm welcome to her biological parents. She wondered if this was punishment for falling deeper in love with Damon than with Stefan.

Most of all, she wondered if this was some sort of punishment because she didn't embrace the pregnancy like most expectant mothers would've.

"When can I go home?" Elena whispered emptily. The doctor took a deep breath, a warm smile on her face as her eyes gazed Elena's chart.

"The nurse is drawing up your release papers as we speak," Dr. Morrison said kindly. "If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me…" she said as she wrote down her number and extension before handing the paper to Damon. "I'll be contacting you to book a follow up appointment. You'll see me approximately every two weeks until the baby is born. I wish you the best."

"Thank you," Damon said to her before she walked out the door. He let out a deep breath, his gaze falling on Elena as she leaned her head back onto the pillow. He just stood there, trying to hide his fear and anxiety. Damon and Elena sat there in silence for a few moments before Elena looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"Take me home," Elena whispered brokenly.

: :

"This is my fault," Elena whimpered. Damon's forehead furrowed together in confusion as he flashed across the room, taking a seat beside her on the couch. She was bundled up in a blanket around her small yet growing frame, her brown eyes glistening with tears of fear as she looked at the glowing fireplace. Damon wrapped his arm around Elena, pulling her shaking body closer to his. Her legs were draped over his lap while her head rested on his shoulder. She never felt so safe, and yet she never felt so sad.

"Elena – " Damon said tentatively. He didn't want her to be feeling this way. This was not at all her fault. But he knew Elena. He knew that it was in her blood to take the blame for things that are undoubtedly out of her control – it's one of the many things he loved about her.

"Nine months," she said suddenly. He opened his mouth to voice his confusion but was thwarted by Elena's tears spilling over. He immediately caught one with his thumb, his hand gently cupping her cheek. "For nine months, all I have to do is make sure that our baby is safe and taken care of. I can't even do that. We almost lost our dream today, and I did that."

"You didn't cause this, you didn't ask for this…" Damon reminded her, desperate for her to not take the blame for this. "If you're gonna blame someone, hell, why don't you just blame me? I'm the one that left."

"You were going out of town for a day," Elena said sourly. "That's not leaving. Even so… I'm just…" Elena whimpered slightly, her face contorting into a mass amount of pain. "I'm scared. I'm scared to move. I'm scared to breathe. I'm scared to love this baby because I'm scared I'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be gone. I don't know if I could survive that."

Damon cupped her face more gently yet fiercely, willing her to look him in the eye. It broke his heart into a thousand pieces with the look the sheer emptiness reflecting in her eyes. He took a deep breath, their gaze locking. "We'll survive this, okay?" he asked her. Elena attempted to look away, the intensity of his gaze being too much. He didn't let go. "Elena, look at me please…"

She met his gaze, her heart aching and breaking all at the same time. "We always survive," he promised her. His voice was laced with such a fierce amount of conviction, she couldn't help but take in every word he spoke, and believe in it with every piece of her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" Damon wondered. She offered him a small smile as she laced her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck, kissing him softly. He automatically wrapped his arms around her, his hands stroking her hair.

"Thank you for making me feel better," she whispered. "Thank you for being my amazing husband. Thank you for giving me hope. Thank you for loving me," she continued. Damon couldn't help but crack a small incredulous smile, as he couldn't help but wonder if it was the hormones talking. Before he could voice his question, he was proven right as Elena whimpered again. He could differentiate this whimper from the others, as this one was tainted with complaints. "What am I going to do on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy?" she questioned, her eyebrows knitted together in annoyance.

Damon smirked at Elena, leaning in and gently pressing his lips against hers. He pulled away but not for long, his lips trailing sweet, soft kisses up and down her jaw, collarbone and neck. "I can think of a few things," Damon whispered, his mouth by her ear as he tugged gently on her ear lobe. Elena let out a gasp of surprise as her eyes rolled into her head, her body beginning to crave him. "I love you, Elena Gilbert."

Elena pulled away abruptly, her eyebrows rose incredulously as a smile was tugging at the corner of her lips. She shook her head before raising her left hand to cup her husband's cheek, her gaze softening as she looked into his ocean blue eyes – her heart beginning to ache with desire and adoration. "Salvatore," she corrected. "It's Elena Salvatore, and it always will be."

: :

"Hello?" Damon answered, clutching the phone to his ear. His attention was split between pouring himself a shot of bourbon, downing a blood bag and the incessant chatter on the other end of the phone. "I'm gonna be honest with you, Barbie. I didn't get a word of that."

"_You __have __selective __hearing,__"_ Caroline complained efficiently, huffing on the other end of the phone out of annoyance. Damon couldn't help but smirk at how easily Caroline could get riled up, even by a simple conversation on the phone.

"No, I just don't care," he corrected. He downed the shot before sticking a straw into the blood bag. "Anyways, what do you want?" he wondered, sipping absentmindedly as he listened to Caroline voice her concerns about Elena. "She's just tired. The doctor said she has to be on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy."

"_I __bet __she__'__ll __love __that,__" _Caroline mumbled sarcastically.

"You did," Damon reminded Caroline. He could practically hear her eyes roll at the memory of their brief time together. Although it was full of blood, sex and compulsion – over time, Damon had grown to care for the perky blonde. She may be annoying and neurotic, but she was loyal to a fault – something that Damon valued greatly when it came to Elena.

"_Anyways,__" _Caroline drawled on awkwardly. _"__I __just __called __to __see __how __Elena __was __doing. __Do __you __think __she__'__ll __be __up __for __company __sometime __this __week?__" _she wondered.

"Company? Yes. Yours? Probably not…" Damon joked. He then got an earful of Caroline induced insults, which abruptly stopped once she heard the laughter coming from his end. "Take a chill pill, Blondie. I'll have Elena call you when she's better. I don't know why, but I'm sure she'd love to see you."

After the five longest minutes of Damon's life and unimportant small talk, Caroline said her goodbyes, leaving Damon to check on Elena. He walked silently and leaned on the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest, adoration evident in his features.

He watched the slow rise and fall of her chest as she slept, a small smile on her face as she dreamed. Damon stood there in contemplation and wonder. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why Elena chose him. He didn't understand how he went from being a crazy, impulsive, vampire to someone who was capable of loving and being loved back.

He doesn't understand how he could have gone from a first rate jack ass and a womanizer to someone who was happily married and was so close to having a family. His dreams, dreams that were ignited back in 1864, were finally coming true – and he was so terrified it could all be ripped away from him.

He silently walked over to Elena and sat down on the edge of the bed, his fingertips trailing down her cheek. She smiled underneath his touch and her eyes fluttered open, an adoring smile on her face. "I thought you were sleeping," Damon said quietly, his voice husky.

"I can't sleep when you're not there," Elena whispered. He couldn't help but smile. Without a word, Elena shifted closer to the middle of the bed, allowing Damon to crawl in next to her. Whether by instincts, routine or need, they didn't know – but she found herself locked in his warm embrace, her hand across his heart and his arms wrapped around her torso as she lain her head on his shoulder.

Elena sighed in contentment, blissfully happy. For the first time in a while, she wasn't worrying. Despite their earlier scare, Elena couldn't find herself being anything but happy when she was with him. She felt safe and loved – and no one could take that away from her.

He leaned in to kiss her but was thwarted by the familiar sound of the doorbell. He outwardly groaned and Elena giggled lightly, before leaning forward and briefly brushing her lips against his jaw. "Go see who it is," she ordered before collapsing back on the bed, snuggling further into the pillow.

Damon rolled his eyes and hopped off the bed effortlessly before he went downstairs. Much to his surprise, the front door was wide open. Just as he was about to go back upstairs and check on Elena, he heard someone fumbling around the fridge. His forehead furrowed together in confusion as he instinctively grabbed the stake from inside his leather jacket as it hung on the coat rack and flashed into the kitchen.

"So, what? Blood bags are _all_ downstairs now? Is this some sort of pregnancy disgust thing?" she wondered before slamming the fridge door. She sauntered over to where Damon was standing, a smirk on her face. "I haven't seen you for a few months…I've missed you," she whispered seductively, her hand against his chest.

Damon grabbed her hands and pinned them against her sides, before rolling his eyes and folding his arms across his chest. "What do you want, Katherine?"

"A pony, a million dollars, a Ferrari…" Katherine drawled on, counting the objects off with her fingers before finally landing on Damon, her eyes seductive and full of blazing desire as her gaze caressed him. Katherine opened her mouth to voice another innuendo but was thwarted by Elena's entrance.

"Katherine?" Elena spit out, anger evident in her brown eyes. Damon immediately found himself standing beside Elena, his stance both protective and calm. He didn't want to worry her too much. She didn't need stress – and that meant that she didn't need Katherine. "What is she doing here, Damon?" Elena wondered aloud.

Katherine rolled her eyes, her curls beginning to get tangled around her finger as she absentmindedly played with her hair. "Don't act like you aren't happy to see me," Katherine muttered.

"Who's acting?" Elena questioned.

"You ignite the Petrova fire more and more every time I see you," Katherine complimented. Damon rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his raven black hair, an aggravated sigh falling from his lips. "What's got your boxers in a knot? Oh wait, I know…" Katherine's gaze trailed to Elena's growing belly. "Elena's libido hasn't kicked in yet? I guess that's one area she and I will never be alike…"

With that comment, Damon's hands were around Katherine's throat and he had her up against the wall. Elena let out a gasp of surprise, her eyes wide with concern. Despite how strong Damon was – Katherine was stronger.

"Relax, Damon…you're too tense…" Katherine teased, her hand trailing seductively up and down his chest. Katherine relished in the aggravated look on Elena's face. She could practically see the steam coming out of Elena's ears. "You too, Elena."

"What do you want, Katherine?" Damon repeated, his hold tightening around her throat.

"I come baring gifts," Katherine said nonchalantly.

"We don't want anything from you," Elena spat out bitterly, her eyes narrowed with despise for Katherine.

Katherine threw her doppelganger a smirk before finally shoving at Damon's chest, inevitably leaving Damon to relinquish his hold on her. She sauntered over to the parlor, and begun to make herself a drink.

"Contrary to what you might think, this time – I'm actually here to help you. There are some rumors flying around that you should be aware of," Katherine announced. At that comment, Damon was at Elena's side in an instant, his arm wrapped securely around her waist while she leaned into his embrace, seeking comfort. Katherine rolled her eyes at the exchange but didn't comment on it.

"What kind of rumors?" Elena questioned, her voice quieter than she was comfortable with. She took a deep breath in an attempt to prepare herself for the bomb Katherine was inevitably about to drop. Katherine set her tumbler down on the table gently, too gently for something Katherine to do – it made the hairs on Elena's back stand up. "What kind of rumors, Katherine?" Elena repeated, her voice strong with determination.

"Rumors," Katherine said evenly. "That the doppelganger is pregnant."

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	14. The Self Destruct Button

**A/N: **_I couldn't think of where to pick up after the last chapter and I'm so terribly sorry that it took so long to update. I think this chapter has a fairly equal amount of fluff as well as minimal angst. anyways, sorry for the long wait! Hopefully the next chapter and update won't take forever. Enjoy!_

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><p>Elena couldn't sleep at all that night. She tossed and turned incessantly as she constantly threw the covers off her body when she was too hot, and found herself pulling them off Damon when she was too cold. She spent most of the night with her gaze on the osculating ceiling fan, her body shooting up with anxiety every time the grandfather clock struck.<p>

"Elena, you're driving me nuts…" Damon whispered into the darkness, his hand instantly finding hers in an attempt to offer her some comfort. She remained silent, although she knew that he knew she was awake. "You're going to drive yourself crazy," he said quietly. "More than that, you're going to drive me crazy – more than you already do," he added lightly. Elena chuckled incredulously before her face crumpled into one of anxiety.

Damon's gaze immediately softened as he pulled her body against his. Despite the darkness that surrounded them, he could see her tears as they fell from her eyes, the silver liquid on her cheeks glistening in the moonlight as it shone through the window panes.

They laid in silence for a while, Elena seeking solace in Damon's arms. This was one of the rare times where he couldn't comfort her – and that killed him more than a stake in the heart ever could. "Do you think she's lying?" Elena finally whispered, breaking the silence. Damon let out a sigh, his gaze strained as he fought to see their bleak future.

"I don't know," he admitted quietly. He couldn't think of a single reason why they should trust Katherine or put any faith into a word that she says – but she didn't have a reason to lie to them either. There have been times where he has seen a flicker of something in Katherine's cold eyes that he associates with what he sees daily in Elena's – humanity.

_"What does it matter if Elena's pregnant? Klaus is dead, he broke the curse – he's a full blown hybrid," Damon stated hopefully. Elena was visibly shaking, her hands cradling her stomach protectively as if she would willingly lay her life on the line for the small life growing inside of her._

_"He broke the curse and he's a hybrid, yes. But do you know why he wanted to break the curse in the first place?" Katherine questioned. Damon's silence answered her question more than a verbal answer could've. "It was so that he could make more hybrids. He had no idea that you were alive but by the time that he found out - Elena was a vampire. She couldn't be of use to him anymore."_

_"You aren't making any sense," Elena whispered fearfully. Katherine rolled her eyes and sauntered over to where Elena was standing. Katherine's hands were on her hips, her eyebrow arched questioningly as she glared at Elena. "I don't understand," she added quietly. She didn't like the way her voice sounded – so vulnerable and weak._

_"His hybrid plan went awry. With a little help from a witch named Gloria, he found out that he couldn't create hybrids because it was your blood that he needed…a lot of good that did, since you were a vampire by the time he sent a witch after you," Katherine drawled on._

_"Sabrina?" Elena choked out. Damon fought to keep his composure – anger brewing underneath his skin at the thought that he brought Sabrina into their lives. "That's why she wanted you to take the deal," Elena said to Damon. "She wanted my blood…" Katherine watched as Elena put the pieces together, the wheels turning inside her head. "What does this have to do with the baby?"_

_"Once a vampire, always a vampire – even if you're human," Katherine said. "It's too much of a riddle and I really don't want to explain it to you but basically, your blood has been tainted with immortality and he needs human blood. Hence…" Katherine glanced down at Elena's bulging abdomen. Elena's chocolate brown eyes widened, the tears she was previously fighting back now falling freely over her eyes._

_"No," Elena choked out. Elena's world was becoming increasingly hazy as she fought to stand upright. She lost the battle, her knees buckling beneath her. Damon caught her instantly, gently bringing her towards the couch where silent sobs wracked through her already strained body. Elena couldn't string a coherent sentence together; the only words falling from her mouth were "no" and "help us"._

Damon tried to be strong for Elena – trying to keep the emotion out of his voice when he spoke to her. He tried to think positively and fill Elena with hope instead of despair but he couldn't because he was so fearful himself. He remained silent and stiff while Elena shifted in his embrace, finally leaning on her elbow so she could look at him.

"Maybe it's a boy," she said hopefully. "If it's a boy - he'll be of no use to Klaus, right?"

Damon nodded, his eyes void of any emotion as he stared at the ceiling. He fought the urge to throw something across the room, to sink his teeth into a innocent human, to walk out the door and hide under a rock but he remained stiff and motionless, his eyes never leaving the osculating ceiling fan as it was his only form of distraction.

He wanted to tell Elena that she was being stupid and idiotic but at the same time, her soft words of hope were the only thing that was keeping him from breaking down. He knew he was naïve to believe that this pregnancy was just a miracle of life; Elena was a vampire – her body stuck forever in a frozen state but somehow, he still hoped for everything to work out for them.

Naturally, Katherine came in and dropped the bomb that their family and their life is yet again in danger. Damon couldn't decide what worried him more – the thought that his unborn son or daughter may cease to exist or the lengths that Elena would go to protect the life inside of her.

Damon was brought out of his thoughts by Elena's soft touch as she gently caressed the planes of his face with her fingers. "Look at me," she whispered, her hand cupping the side of his neck. He reluctantly obeyed, his heart clenching together at the look of despair reflecting in her tears. "What are we going to do?"

He let out an incredulous chuckle tainted with hopelessness and disbelief. He opened his mouth in an attempt to offer her words of comfort but he couldn't. His silence was deafening as Elena gently reached over and gently squeezed his hand. He didn't voice his objection, as he felt guilty for having Elena even touch him so gently – he didn't deserve it.

He was taken aback when his hand touched the hard surface of her baby belly. He fought to keep his composure as he reluctantly met Elena's tear filled eyes, although her previous hopeless expression was now replaced with hopefulness. He could feel the movement of their child beneath the hard surface of Elena's skin. It was the most beautiful thing he'd felt in his life.

"It's okay for you to love this baby," Elena whispered. Damon met Elena's gaze with anxiety and intense melancholy. His forehead furrowed together in confusion before Elena cupped his cheek, a weak smile on her face. "I know that you're scared to, but I need you to know that it's okay to love this baby and plan for our future."

"We don't even know if our baby will have a future, Elena…" Damon whispered regretfully. She nodded, her other hand wiping a tear from her cheek before she exhaled sharply. He didn't like the way his voice sounded, tainted with vulnerability and helplessness. It just all seems so bleak and naïve to plan and love a baby that may cease to exist in less than three months. "How can you have so much faith in our future?" he whispered questioningly.

She shrugged her shoulders, an incredulous breath falling from her lips. "Because I need something to believe in," she whispered. "I'm scared, Damon. Our dreams are so close and yet again, so far and I need to believe that after everything we've been through, something good can come out of all of this. I need to have faith that we'll survive this, all three of us because we always survive. But I need you to believe in me, and I need you to have faith."

Damon remained silent, his blue eyes sparkling with awe as he studied the expressions of his wife. He loved her so much – he loved her beauty, he loved her strength, her weaknesses, her flaws – he loved every part of her and he was determined to love this new part of her – because it was a part of him too. "How are you so strong?" he wondered. Elena shrugged her shoulders, her nuzzling closer to Damon so her forehead was pressed gently against his. Her eyes squeezed shut, her heart aching inside her chest.

"I just don't want to be weak anymore," she whispered. They lay in silence for a few minutes, their hands entangled while he watched exhaustion fall into her movements. "Damon?"

"Mhm?"

"What if it's a girl?" she whispered fearfully, her brown eyes wide with anxiety and vulnerability. Damon leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against her forehead before his hand caressed the surface of her stomach, feeling his child move beneath Elena's skin.

"Then we take the fight to Klaus," Damon whispered, conviction lacing his tone. he didn't know where his sudden bout of strength came from, he had a feeling it had something to do with Elena but all he knew was that this was his family. This was his wife and this was his baby. He hasn't given up before, and he's not gonna start now.

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><p>"Damon, I don't need a babysitter!" Elena insisted annoyingly as she folded her arms across her chest. She let out an annoyed huff as she glared at her husband while he got dressed. "And damn it, put a shirt on!" she yelled, throwing a pillow at his head. He only chuckled as he caught the pillow in mid air; flashing towards her while she sat on the bed.<p>

"Why?" he asked her, his voice dangerously low, his teeth nipping at her earlobe. "Is my half naked body becoming too much for your pregnancy hormones?" he whispered seductively, his hands playing with the hem of her tank top. "Or can you even blame it on the hormones?" he wondered, his tongue now sweeping her bottom lip.

"Because I can't concentrate when you're half naked!" she admitted, shoving at his chest before a scowl became evident on her features. "And it's not fair when I'm trying to lecture you, and now I don't even remember why I'm mad."

Damon's ocean blue eyes flashed seductively, a satisfied smirk tugging on the edges of his lips. "I know you don't need a babysitter, but I'm not leaving you here alone. Too much could go wrong," Elena let out a huff that solidified Damon's argument. She knew that he was right – but she didn't have to like it. "What's the big deal, anyway? I thought you loved your girl's days," he reminded her, taking a seat across from her, her hands laying limp in his.

"I do. I just know that they're gonna have a lot of questions that I don't want to answer," she admitted sheepishly. Damon leaned forward, his lips gently brushing against hers before she leaned her forehead against his chest, sighing in contentment when she felt his strong arms wrap around her body.

Damon shrugged his shoulders before he tucked a piece of hair behind Elena's ear, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. "I don't wanna worry about that," he said quietly. Elena nodded in understanding, her arms wrapping around his shoulders.

Their moment was short lived by the sound of the front door opening, Caroline's enthusiastic voice echoing throughout the boarding house. "I'm here!" she called out. Elena chuckled lightly, her hand caressing the side of Damon's neck, her eyes willing him to keep his cool.

"I love you," Elena whispered to her husband.

"Elena! I brought Glee and Gossip Girl! We have an entire season to catch up on!" Caroline called out, her voice looming closer. Damon groaned into the crook of Elena's neck, kissing the exposed skin there and pulling away just in time for Caroline to make it to the door of their bedroom. "Okay, please tell me you two are fully clothed!"

"Yes Caroline," Elena drawled on playfully, her hand tightening around Damon's reassuringly. He fought the urge to just collapse onto his bed and curling up for the rest of his life, Elena in his arms.

"If I said I was naked, would you stay away?" Damon wondered hopefully, a smirk on his face. Caroline rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder, her hips jutted out as her hand was on her hip.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before, so probably not –"Caroline said with a smirk. Elena chuckled lightly at Damon's reaction, something that sounded a lot like a growl. He just rolled his eyes and shook his head in dismay, planting a kiss on Elena's cheek and whispering an "I love you" before he flashed out of the house. "Works every time. I actually have no desire to see Damon naked, but apparently fighting fire with fire works with him,"

"That it does, where's Bonnie?" Elena wondered, noticing the lack of presence in the room.

"Arianna's sick and then she got into a fight with Jeremy and she said that she just wanted to stay home. She did say that she'd call you though," Caroline assured. Elena nodded in understanding, her hand instinctively caressing her stomach. Caroline beamed at the gesture, her own hand reaching out to cover Elena's. "So, how's thing with you?"

"We're good," Elena said with a small smile. She decided to leave out the part of looming doom and gloom, deciding that she didn't want to put a damper on Caroline's mood. "All three of us," Elena clarified. Caroline chuckled lightly before digging into her overly large purse, a wide smile on her face.

"Okay, so we have a lot of catching up to do, both gossip wise and Gossip Girl wise."

Elena leaned into the pillows that leaned against her headboard, an amused smile on her face as she pulled the blanket over her bulging stomach, her eyes beginning to droop slightly. Caroline smiled at her friend, understanding the sheer exhaustion that was reflecting in Elena's eyes. "Alright, so what have I missed?" Elena questioned her best friend, a brave smile on her face.

Caroline wasted no time as she dove into the details of her life, both the human drama and supernatural drama. She told Elena every insignificant detail, no matter how small and somehow, those were the things that she found herself latching onto the most.

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><p>The sound of the front door opening was the most beautiful thing Elena had heard that entire day. She instinctively sat up, a wide smile on her face, her hands extended. It took only seconds for her to be in Damon's arms, his lips littering her skin with kisses. She held onto him, her last sliver of strength and hope. She inhaled deeply – despite the fact that he had only been gone for a day, she missed him so much.<p>

"Did you find anything in Isobel's research?" Elena whispered. She tried to keep the emotion out of her voice, she had learned by now to not get her hopes up. Damon retreated from her embrace slightly, just to shrug out of his leather jacket. Her breath hitched in her throat, his beauty paralyzing her.

"Eyes up here, Elena…" Damon teased, a smirk evident on his face. Elena rolled her eyes, a playful smiling tugging on the edge of her lips as Damon wrapped his arm around her shoulder, laying them both down on the bed and crawling under the throw blanket with her. "To answer your question, yes and no. There was nothing about procreation for immortals no, but there was a tiny bit on the originals. It was a lot of mumbo jumbo, so Ric's translating it tonight."

"You're making Ric translate it?" Elena questioned playfully. Damon shrugged his shoulders indifferently, his hand lazily stroking her hair. "I'm glad," she admitted, her arm wrapping around his waist, eager to have him as close to her as possible. "And I'm happy your home."

"How happy?" Damon wondered as he shifted their positions. His hands were on either side of her head, their hands intertwined. He was painfully gentle as he littered her skin with kisses, careful not to put any pressure on her body as he held himself up over her. Elena giggled with each kiss, her hands on his chest as she shifted underneath his body every time his lips touched her ticklish spot.

Finally, her hands found themselves on either side of his neck as she pulled his lips down to meet his. It never ceased to amaze Elena how quickly she could lose herself within him. With trembling fingers, she pulled his t-shirt over his head, her eyes grazing him lustfully. Damon's fingers were playing with the hem of her satin night gown, Elena's breath hitching in her throat when he touched her heated skin as he helped Elena shrug out of the garment.

They soon found themselves lost in one another like they've been many times before. They were a mess of tangled limbs, ecstasy tainting their every sound and movement. Elena shuddered almost every time his fingers gently caressed her skin, his kisses igniting fires within her body.

They could have set the room on fire with their unwavering passion, and they wouldn't even have noticed.

**please leave a review! **


	15. Calm Before the Storm

**A/N: **I am so terribly sorry for the wait. I received two personal messages inquiring about the next update, and that means so much to me that even after there hasn't been an update, my story hasn't been forgotten. I've had terrible writer's block with both this story and my AU/AH fanfic "Lights Will Guide You Home". Anyways, I'm very sorry for the long periods between updates, but I'd rather wait and update with a fairly good chapter than give you guys something that isn't my best work. I hope you enjoy, thank you for your unwavering support and don't forget to review! The goal for reviews is 120+. We can do it!

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><p><em><strong>Love is this, this is love<strong>_

"Damon," Elena whispered for the umpteenth time. She waited for him to wake up but he didn't, he just shifted slightly before his breathing fell into a steady rhythm again. She rolled her eyes and collapsed back onto the pillows, her arms folded across her chest in annoyance before a wicked grin etched itself on her face.

She grabbed the nearest pillow and hit him in the face with it. He shot up suddenly, his eyes squinting against the harsh glare of his wife as she sat beside him, a look of anger evident on her features. "What the hell, Elena?" he groaned, his eyes falling on the digital clock.

"Oh good, you're up," Elena beamed nonchalantly before reaching over to turn on the lamp on the nightstand. "Listen, I think we should start talking about baby names. Also, you should probably finish the nursery."

It was Damon's turn to glare at Elena as he fought the urge to sleep on the couch for a peaceful night's rest. Although it seems like he sleeps through the night, every time Elena gets up to go to the washroom or is tossing and turning, he's losing sleep too. "Please tell me that you did not just wake me up from what was arguably the most decent night's sleep I've gotten in weeks, to tell me that we should start picking out baby names and about a nursery that's pretty much done."

Elena grinned. "I'm also hungry."

"I'm seriously considering divorce," Damon muttered before throwing the covers off his body. Elena tried to ignore the way his sweatpants hung off his hip bones, revealing his perfect contoured chest. His raven black hair was disheveled from tossing and turning as well as being hit with a pillow, and his blue eyes were aged with exhaustion. He was breathtaking.

Instead she rolled her eyes, feigning anger at his comment. "I hate you."

"Awe, I love you too," Damon singsongs as he stumbles around the room looking for his t-shirt. Despite the fact that he's a vampire, his enhanced senses have been impaired due to exhaustion. Elena finds herself becoming angry again when he finds his shirt and pulls it over his chest. "What am I making?"

Elena tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Seriously?" she asked, as if her midnight cravings were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Don't look at me like that," Damon warned, shaking his finger in front of her face dismissively. "Last week, I had to make you ketchup covered rice. The week before that you demanded cinnamon covered grilled cheese and just last night, you almost staked me because you wanted herbal tea and I gave you green tea by accident."

Elena grinned sheepishly at hormonal behavior. "Alright, point taken but right now I just want a pepperoni pizza and pickles." Damon nodded in understanding before scratching his head and walking towards the door. "Damon?" Elena called after him, just as he had one foot out the bedroom door. He turned around half a step, a look of acknowledgment on his face. "I love you."

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><p>"Are you sure you're doing that right?" Elena asked as she watched Caroline assemble the crib. Caroline looked over her shoulder, an annoyed expression on her face. "I'm just making sure, I mean…you skipped most of Spanish class…" she reminded her friend.<p>

Caroline just rolled her eyes. "Yes, but I'm fully capable of reading Spanish instructions for a simple baby crib! And if you're so worried, why isn't Damon helping you with this?"

"He's at the Grill with Alaric for a few hours," Elena said. "Alcohol always helps his grumpy mood because apparently he doesn't appreciate it when I wake him up in the middle of the night."

"Oh honey," Caroline sympathizes, quickly forgetting about the task at hand. "_Never_ interrupt a vampire's sleep. One time, Tyler was on his Xbox at like 2 o'clock in the morning, gaming with someone in England…I had to buy him a new headset the next day. He never lets me forget it."

"You broke his headset?" Elena asked incredulously.

"In my defense," Caroline said. "He said that Gone with the Wind was stupid," she explained. "I think that was the third biggest fight we ever had. Anyways, why do you sound so surprised about the whole sleep thing? You know what it's like to be a vampire."

"Yeah but…Damon and I…we have an understanding and up until the pregnancy, both of us slept through the night," Elena explained dismissively. The light blush that crept up her cheeks wasn't lost on Caroline, as she went into full gossip mode, a childish grin on her face. "What?" Elena asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Caroline ordered. "What aren't you telling me? Here I thought we were _best __friends_ who told each other _everything_."

"Caroline…" Elena began tentatively, trying to hide the amusement from her voice.

"Don't make me black light you!" Caroline warned.

"Fine!" Elena relented with an amused smile. "Damon and I just…we tire each other out, that's all!"

Caroline rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. "Wow. No wonder you're pregnant."

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><p>"I don't think it's supposed to look like that," Damon said awkwardly as he stood beside Elena, his gaze questioning. She let out an annoyed huff as she waddled forward to look at the crib from a different angle. "Who helped you put this together?" he wondered, appraising his wife's handy work.<p>

"Caroline put the crib together herself, actually," Elena said honestly. "I was knitting."

Damon outwardly laughed, his fingers running through his hair as he smirked, his gaze still on the crib. "You let Vampire Barbie build our child's crib? No wonder it looks more like kindle for the fireplace than a place for a child to sleep," he said nonchalantly as he looked at the instructions.

"She said that she knew Spanish!" Elena said, throwing her hands up in exasperation before gesturing to the instructions in Damon's hands. It was then that it took every ounce of strength he had not to double over in laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Caroline skipped a lot of class, right?" he wondered, his arms folded across his chest. Elena narrowed her eyes in confusion, her hands moving to her hips as she glared at her husband.

"Kind of…" she relented.

"Thought so," Damon said nonchalantly as he held up the instructions. "The instructions are in Italian," he said with a smirk. He let out a breath before wrapping an arm around Elena's shoulders, pulling her against him. "Why don't you go lie down and I'll fix this. Actually, we might just be better off getting a new crib all together."

Elena let out a huff as she folded her arms across her growing chest, a pregnancy perk that wasn't lost on Damon. "My eyes are up here," she reminded him, bringing him from his less than innocent thoughts.

"I know," Damon said lightly before his eyes began to trail south again. Elena rolled her eyes before she brought her hand up to cup his chin, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Making me look at you doesn't change anything, Elena. I know your body off by heart."

He didn't mean anything by it – but it was the truth. He knew her body almost as well as she did. He memorized her every curve, her every scar. He knew where she was most ticklish, and he knew what area of her feet hurt the most after she'd been on them all day. He knew her pressure points when giving her a massage and he knew where the soft spot on her neck was.

"If you ever want to see me naked again, although I don't know why you'd want to, then you'll stop objectifying me!"

Damon's forehead furrowed together in confusion, uncertain at the nature of her comment. "You're mine forever. I'll always want you," Damon says honestly. Elena rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair, carefully avoiding his gaze as she was suddenly feeling extremely self conscious.

"You're my husband, you have to say that," Elena grumbled. Damon could see the lack of self-esteem plastered all over Elena's face and he instinctively pulled her into his embrace. She couldn't help but smile once she'd felt his lips on her hair, and so she buried her blush in his chest. It was a reaction he'd always brought out with her. Despite the fact that they might as well be an old married couple, he still had the ability to make her blush like a school girl at her first dance.

Damon pulled away too soon for her liking, gently taking her hand in his and leading her out of the room. Her forehead furrowed together in confusion as he led her down the long hallway of their home. "There's something I want to show you," he told her honestly. Her forehead furrowed together in confusion before Damon abruptly stopped at the very last door at the end of the hall.

Despite the fact that they've been married for almost a year and she's lived at the Boarding House for almost two, not counting all the time she spent here as a human, she's never taken the liberty to see what lies beyond all the doors that belong to the house.

Behind the door was just a set of stairs, leading up to a loft of some sorts. Elena's eyebrow arched over her chocolate brown eyes in confusion before Damon just gestured for her to follow his lead.

Elena soon found herself standing at the top of the second set of stairs, her eyes glistening with amazement as her eyes trailed around the room, a small smile falling on her lips. She began to walk around the room, her fingertips lightly tracing patterns on the dust that had collected over the grand piano that stood idle in the middle of the room.

Damon stood by the landing, his arms folded across his chest as he watched her take everything in, awe evident in her eyes. the light streaming in through the window on the far wall lit her features perfectly, and he wonders if it's legal for someone to be that beautiful.

"It's beautiful," Elena breathed, disbelief on her features as her eyes roamed the room.

"Compared to my view, it's alright," Damon replied nonchalantly. She let out a small giggle before finally taking a seat on the rocking chair that was angled towards the piano while Damon took a seat on the piano bench, his gaze locking with hers. Her hands began to absentmindedly trace patterns on her stomach, a lazy smile on her face as she inhaled the musky scent that belonged to this room. "No one else knows about this room," he said quietly. "With the exception of Stefan," he adds as an afterthought.

"Why?"

"My father always used to tell me horror stories about the darkness and the predators that would _steal __your __soul_," he imitates the voice of what Elena assumed was supposed to be his father. She didn't say anything, fearful that if she interrupted him, he would stop. But she needed this – she needed to know him. As much as she loved the vampire him, she found herself wondering what the human him was like. She imagines he was beautiful.

"Stefan was just a baby but when my father would go out with the other founding families because of another vampire attack, Stefan and I would hear gunshots go off in the distance, sometimes we'd even hear the screams of a vampire begging for mercy," Damon continued, shooting Elena an apologetic look as she cringed slightly.

"Stefan would always cry whenever the hunt would happen so my mother would sit down in the rocking chair, Stefan in one arm, me in the other and she would just sing to us. Sometimes, she would even let me hold Stefan by myself while she played for us," he said softly, nostalgia evident in his eyes.

Elena opened her mouth to ask her husband something, but hesitated. He rarely spoke about his human life – he said he didn't see the point. But curiosity got the best of her. "Damon?" she whispered hesitantly, her eyes wide with sincerity. "What was she like?"

Damon's fingertips lightly brushed against the dusty piano keys, his eyes set on the notes he played as his mind drifted to a whole other place. "She was beautiful," he answered without skipping a beat, his voice laced with a sincerity he usually reserved for Elena. "She was selfless and kindhearted and she had this smile that when she walked into a room, you I instantly felt better because…because she was there."

Elena smiles at him. "I wish I could have met her," she tells him. Damon lifts his gaze to lock with hers; his blue eyes burning with an intensity that made Elena's heart skip a beat. "In another life, where we're both human – do you think we would have ended up together?" she wonders aloud.

"I can't imagine a life where we don't," Damon tells her without hesitancy, a genuine smile falling on his lips as he looked at Elena while she rocked back and forth on the rocking chair, her hand gently caressing her baby bump. "My mother would have absolutely loved you, you know that?"

"Really?"

"You are everything she ever wanted for me, and you are everything I ever wanted," Damon added thoughtfully. Elena took a deep breath, an unmistakable smile on her lips as she looked at her husband. She feels a swelling inside of her chest and she thinks that sometimes she might explode with how much she loves him. "If you met me in 1864, do you think you would have loved me or Stefan?" he challenges with a smirk.

Elena chuckles lightly, feigning thoughtfulness. "I love you now, just the way you are," she assures. Damon smirks before he flashes over to where she sits on the rocking chair, adoration evident in her gaze as she looks at him. She lifts her hand to cradle his face and he leans into her soft touch, closing his eyes in contentment.

_**Love is this, this is love**_


	16. Abandon All Hope

**A/N: **I'm sorry for the long wait again. I hope you guys are having super happy holidays, and maybe this chapter will get us to our goal (**120+ reviews!**). Thanks for your support. I've tweaked some things from the show to fit the plot, so bear with me!

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><p>Damon's forehead furrowed together the second he'd set foot into the Boarding House. It wasn't the disdain of Caroline being at the house <em>again<em>, or the fact that he could smell dog everywhere – it was more curiosity as to why there was Glee music emanating throughout his house. He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath before trudging up the stairs, fully ready to give the blonde an earful.

It wasn't until he stood in the doorframe of his bedroom that he realized this could quite possibly be the most amusing thing he's ever witnessed. Expecting to see Caroline whipping her hair back and forth, he finds his pregnant wife singing along to the Glee karaoke, rocking out like an everyday superstar.

Caroline notices that he has approached, but he motion for her to be quiet. Instead, he swiftly takes out his iPhone and video records Elena as she sings at the top of her lungs, completely oblivious to the fact that her husband and best friend are watching, disbelief and amusement on their features.

_"Highway run into the midnight sun, wheels go round and round you're on my mind. Restless hearts sleep alone tonight, sending all my love along the wire. They say that the road ain't no place to start a family. Right down the line it's been you and me, and loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be. Boy, you stand by me. I'm forever yours faithfully."_

Oddly enough, despite the fact that it was arguably the best thing he's witnessed in a while, in that moment, his most dominant thought was how truly amazing his wife was. It was moments like these that he wondered how on earth he got so lucky. It was moments like these or when he would be lying in bed with Elena and he would listen to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat and he would wonder how he got there.

It isn't until silence envelopes him that he realizes the song has ended, and so he claps his hands together for a nice big round of applause. Elena's eyes widened right on cue as she turned around, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Since the first line," Damon answered nonchalantly. "If I'm being totally honest, I was kind of turned on. I mean if we were alone I'd take you - "

"And…that's my cue to leave…" Caroline said awkwardly as she grabbed her purse and flashed down stairs. "Bye 'Lena!" she called behind her before she slammed the front door shut. Damon turned towards Elena, a proud smirk on his face.

"And _that's_ how you get rid of Barbie," Damon said proudly. Elena's eyes narrowed together in confusion as she tilted her head to the side. "What?" he asked incredulously.

"So, what are you saying? You weren't impressed with my singing and you what? Weren't turned on?" Elena retorts. Damon's eyes widen instantly, quickly trying to diminish any and all anger that is boiling beneath Elena's perfect skin. "Well?" she presses.

"Elena, you could breathe in my direction and I'd still want you. You're sexy as hell and I love you," he assures with a smirk. Elena could only smirk under his smoldering gaze as he sauntered closer to her, his eyes dancing seductively as they caressed her body. "In fact," he paused. "I kind of want you right now…"

He's now standing in front of her, his hands gripping what he could of her hips as he pulled her flush against his long, hard body. Elena couldn't hold back her smile as she ran her hands up and down his chest, her fingers excitedly reaching the buckle on his jeans.

"God I love you," she tells her husband breathlessly, before she brings his face down to meet hers, her lips assaulting his. Her hands run all over his upper body, partially in awe and partially out of sheer hunger.

His hands are caressing her body, settling on the hem of her shirt as he anxiously pulls it over her head, his eyes blazing with hunger himself as he notes the way her tight black tank-top hugs her every, beautiful curve.

Their passionate embrace is interrupted by Elena's giggles against his lips. He pulls away slightly, confusion evident on his face as he raises an eyebrow incredulously. She shakes her head, her hands on his shoulders as she leans her head on his chest, laughter falling from her lips.

"Elena, honey –" he says tentatively. He's tentative and cautious with his words because of her hormones; he wants to pick up where they left off without her being angry at him, although he thinks that would be a pretty fun time too.

"It's kicking," she says breathlessly, pulling away from his embrace. Her eyes dart to her round stomach, her chocolate brown eyes light with awe and adoration. She instinctively reaches out for his hand, pressing his fingers to the spot where she felt their child. "Do you feel that?" she asks, her eyes locking with his.

A small smile has settled on his lips as his eyes dart between Elena's and the round stomach that holds his future. "Yeah," he says quietly, tentatively. "I feel that." It's when his eyes lock with Elena's for the second time that he realizes she's crying. Her eyes are glistening with sadness and fear, as well as insurmountable bravery. "Elena," he breathes.

She shakes her head, her smile never faltering, but her smile no longer reflects happiness but rather incredulity. "It's okay," she tells him bravely, shaking her head again. "It's okay because you know what? Everything's going to be fine."

It's that moment when her façade crumbles all around her and Damon isn't sure he can catch it quickly enough. The tears are streaming down her face now and she doesn't think she can hold them back.

Her words are empty and her tone is tainted with hopelessness. As their child moves inside of her metaphorically fragile frame, she finds herself unable to have faith in the future that is becoming increasingly bleak.

Meanwhile, as Damon holds his wife in the safety of his arms, his face buried in her hair, whispering sweet nothings in her ear – he tries to hide the fear that is embedded in his eyes as well as the hesitancy to dream into a future he knows is as bleak as Elena believes it is.

"Elena, look at me." His hands cradle her face gently, his eyes blazing into hers. He thinks that he could stare into her eyes forever, and it still wouldn't be long enough. "We'll survive this," he promises her. "We always survive."

* * *

><p>It's the middle of the night when Damon hears a faint knock on the door. He takes a sigh of relief when he hears the steady rhythm of Elena's heartbeat as she lay peacefully beside him. He takes a deep breath, his hand instinctively wrapping around the wooden stake he keeps underneath his pillow, and flashes downstairs.<p>

As he peels back the curtains ever so slightly, he rolls his eyes and outwardly groans as he opens the door, leaning on the frame, exhaustion evident on his features. "Stefan, we're too old to have sleepovers," Damon deadpans, a ghost of a smirk on his face.

Stefan ignores his brother's snide comment before just brushing past Damon. His hands are shoved in his pockets; his shoulders hunched slightly, his expression void of any emotion that isn't fear. Damon's blood immediately runs cold as he shuts the door, his eyes darting up the stairs to make sure Elena was still in bed. Her heartbeat assured him that she was safe and sound.

"What's wrong?" Damon asks quietly as he turns on a table lamp. Stefan takes a deep breath, his fingers running through his bronze hair before he locks gazes with Damon. It was the look in Stefan's emerald eyes that made Damon's blood run cold.

Stefan takes a deep breath, worriment and broodiness evident in his features. "It's Klaus," Stefan says evenly. Damon swallows thickly, an angry war raging behind his eyes. "He's knows Elena's due date is close."

"Elena isn't due for another two months," Damon spits out angrily, absentmindedly clutching the back of the couch.

"He wants a head start," Stefan said quietly. Damon lets out a sigh, his blue eyes wide and blazing with anger. "One more thing," Stefan adds hesitantly, his own voice thick.

Damon doesn't say anything – he can't say anything. He doesn't know what to say because it feels like the oxygen has been sucked out of his lungs. The walls might as well be physically closing in on him. "What is it?"

"Sabrina contacted the original witch," Stefan says evenly, his voice thick with hesitancy and reluctance. "Apparently there might be a loophole with the curse. Petrova blood is Petrova blood…whether it's spilled from a doppelganger or a descendant."

"So what you're saying is…" he paused, leaving the words hanging in the air, too scary and deadly to say aloud. Stefan nodded, understanding the uncertainty his brother was trying to articulate.

It doesn't matter if Damon and Elena have a boy or a girl – their child, their family and their future is doomed.

* * *

><p>Elena awoke to the warm sunlight streaming down on her face. A smile instantly fell on her lips as she turned on her side, her fingers searching the cold fabric that was the sheets, frowning when she realized she had woken up alone.<p>

"Damon?" she called out, her voice thick with sleep. He emerged from the bathroom not a second later, his boxers hanging off of his hips, and Elena thinks that if she was still a vampire, she'd be all over that in a second. Damon watched as her eyes darkened with lust, and a smirk found itself on his face. "Morning," she tells him with a smile.

"Morning love," he greets, sauntering over to kiss her on the forehead. Through the simplest gesture, Elena was able to decipher insurmountable worry and regret.

Her forehead furrowed together in worriment as she watched him pick out his outfit for the day. She bit her lip out of sheer anxiety, her hands caressing her stomach almost instinctively. She let out a deep and shaky breath, her hands beginning to shake as she slid up to lean against the headboard and twiddle her thumbs in front of her belly.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on with you or are you going to make me guess?" Elena asks hesitantly, a hint of feigned amusement in her tone as she questions her husband. Damon pauses in his actions, his shirt halfway down his torso before he regains his composure and finishes getting himself dressed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lies. She folds her arms across his chest, an eyebrow raised incredulously. She knows that he's lying – and he knows she knows he's lying, and he thinks it's one of the worst things he can do to his wife, even if it is for her benefit.

"Damon," Elena says.

"Elena," he mocks with a smirk, narrowly avoiding her eyes. It's then that she lets out another breath before throwing the covers off of her, waddling over to where he stands. He turns around instantly, his hand automatically moving to cradle her face. His fingertips are playing with the dark tresses of her hair as he kisses her lips gently and fiercely.

"Damon," she moans against his lips, her hand pushed against his chest in an attempt to not get distracted but with he's kissing her in a way that should be illegal. She knows he's trying to distract her, and she is determined to not be distracted. "Damon," she says more forcefully, finally (and reluctantly) shoving her hands at his chest and pushing him away, a frown on her lips more than anything else. "What happened?" she asks again.

"We were kissing and now we weren't," he says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He throws her a smirk but it's tainted with a sadness that puts fear in her veins. "Everything's fine."

Elena folds her arms across her chest again. "I didn't ask if everything was fine, I asked what happened. Why wouldn't everything be fine?" she asks, her voice becoming more alarmed.

He closes his eyes as he takes a deep breath before gently taking her hand and leading her back towards the bed. She reluctantly follows, ignoring the ache in her lower back and she fights back a smile as her bottom meets the softness of the mattress.

He's kneeling in front of her know, his hands on her knees as he looks into her eyes. "I would literally give _anything_ not to tell you this," he says tentatively, his voice full of insurmountable regret. "Stefan stopped by last night. Klaus knows your due date is close and that means that he's getting closer."

Elena surprises herself with a small smile, one of reassurance both for her, her husband, and her child. "It's okay," she tells him. "It's all gonna be okay because I was with Caroline the other day and we did some of those pregnancy mythical tests online and it's gonna be a boy," she says happily, as if she's solved every one of their problems.

He wonders if she can hear his heart sinking. "Elena…" he says tentatively, his eyes wide and full of the regret that's reflected in his voice. "Sabrina contacted the original witch and there are loopholes to the curse, meaning there are loopholes with the blood. Boy or girl," he pauses. "It's Petrova blood."

Elena's breath hitches in her throat and she feels tears spring to her eyes. Hopelessness is weighing down on her like never before, and for once, she doesn't think Damon can fix this. She takes a deep breath in an attempt to steady her raging emotions, bringing a hand up to her eye to catch a tear before it falls.

"I think I'm gonna take a drive," she says quietly. Damon's forehead furrows together in confusion at her words, and fights the urge to hold her in the safety of his embrace as she gets up and walks back towards the closet.

"You're seven months pregnant," Damon reminds her, his tone almost implying that she's forgotten. She hasn't forgotten – she never forgets and when she feels her world falling apart around her, it's the only thing other than Damon that she clings to.

She huffs in annoyance as she shrugs on a pair of black sweatpants, a white tank top and a grey cardigan before throwing her long brown locks into a ponytail and grabbing her purse.

Elena takes a deep breath as she pauses in the doorframe, fearfully meeting Damon's penetrating gaze. "I'll be back. I love you."

* * *

><p>She waits until she's in the confinements of her car before she relents to the unsteady ground that she vaguely recognizes as rock bottom. She takes a deep breath as she dials an unfamiliar number with shaky fingers before finally bringing the device up to her ear, her voice weak and shaky as well as her heart racing inside of her chest.<p>

"_Hello?" _a familiar voice answers.

Elena takes another deep breath, praying to the heavens that everything doesn't fall apart. But she doesn't think she has another choice. She thinks she can physically feel the walls closing in on her, and it won't be long before everything else around her shatters.

"Katherine," Elena says weakly, her voice tainted with despair and insurmountable fear and against all odds, a tinge of hope. "It's Elena. I need your help."


	17. Gimme Sympathy

**Author's Note: **Thank you for all of your support, it truly means the world to me. I don't even know what to say other than thank you. It's been far too long since I've updated and that's because I just haven't had the inspiration. I originally was going to make this one long chapter but I decided to split it up into two parts. This takes off where the last chapter left off, with Elena calling Katherine so now you can see what they talked about. I already have the majority of the next chapter written so I'll update in a few weeks! Thank you for everything. Truly.

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><p><em><strong>Gimme Sympathy<strong>_

Elena waited until she was in the confinements of her car before she gave into the unsteady ground that she vaguely remembered as rock bottom. It had been a long time since she's felt this way, so hopeless and defeated. She had thought and hoped that this chapter of her life was over a long time ago.

She was very, very wrong.

Taking a deep breath, she dialed an unfamiliar number with shaky fingers before finally bringing the device to her ear as her call went through. It felt like an eternity until someone picked up on the third ring and Elena was met with the familiarly husky voice that sounded eerily similar to her own.

She took another deep breath and prayed to the heavens that everything wouldn't fall apart. But she didn't think she had a choice. She was backed into a corner. She could almost physically feel the walls closing in on her and her family; it wouldn't be long now before everything else around her caved in.

"Katherine," Elena said weakly, voice tainted with both insurmountable fear and a small tinge of hope. "It's Elena, I need your help."

Two minutes. That's all it took for Elena to set up a time and place to meet and exactly one hour later, Elena pulled up beside Katherine's luxurious car among the ruins of what used to be the old Salvatore estate. On the entire drive over, Elena had gone back and forth with herself.

Should she give up? Should she keep fighting?

Part of her, a part of her wanted to just give up, throw in the towel and walk away. Elena was never meant to be a mother anyway, not in this lifetime. All of this: the pregnancy, the joyous possibility of impending parenthood, none of this was supposed to happen. It just wasn't in the cards, not for her and not for Damon. And what could could possibly come from calling on Katherine Pierce, for a favor of all things?

So, what was she doing here?

"I'm fighting," she whispered to herself over and over again, like a mantra. She was fighting. She was fighting for the life she was robbed of when she became a vampire. She was fighting for her marriage, for her family. She was fighting for her future with Damon and their unborn baby.

With that profound realization in mind, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. "Katherine," Elena acknowledged carefully as she approached the vampire with shaky legs. "Thank you for meeting me on such short notice."

Katherine shrugged, her perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched over her cold brown eyes. "Well, you sounded kind of desperate on the phone and I thought to myself, who am I to pass up an opportunity to stick it to the Salvatore's, extended or otherwise? So stands the million dollar question: what do you want?"

Every single instinct in Elena's body was screaming at her to run. Nothing was worth getting Katherine Pierce of all people involved; but as her unborn child moved inside her, she was reminded of all the reasons she had to fight.

"I need your help." Elena took a deep breath and prayed one final time that this wasn't one big colassol mistake. "Stefan told Damon that Sabrina contacted the original witch; there are loopholes in the curse."

Katherine's interest was instantly piqued. "I'm listening. Kind of."

Elena continued. "It doesn't matter whether or not I'm carrying a boy or girl; it's Petrova blood. Katherine, if I don't do something—if you don't help me, my baby will die. My family will fall apart."

With a liberal roll of her eyes, Katherine scoffed incredulously. "It's a good thing you have your—sorry, my looks, because you are nine kinds of crazy."

"Katherine, please—"

Katherine patted her mouth, yawning dramatically. "I'm bored of this conversation. Get to the point, will you? I have places to be."

This was it, this was her only chance.

"No one knows better than you what I'm going through right now. And you—you ran from Klaus for five hundred years, successfully. You survived and I need you to tell me what I need to do to do that. To survive."

Realization dawned on Katherine. "You mean, you want me to help you run. You stupid, stupid, stupid girl." She threw her head back and let out a loud laugh, incredulity etched on her every feature. "You are even dumber than you look. You don't get it, do you? You can't run from Klaus."

"But—"

"No. There is no but," Katherine cut her off immediately. "He will kill you. Do you understand that? He will kill you and everyone that you have ever met, anyone that you've ever loved, anyone that has ever helped you. Hell, he probably won't stop there. He might just take out every person that has ever said hello to you."

Elena came into this conversation brave and hopeful. Now, she was crying in earnest as her doppelganger confirmed her worst fears.

"You can't run, Elena. And you can't hide. Now? All you can do is surrender."

"Is that what I'm supposed to do?" Elena demanded, wiping an errant tear as it fell from her eye. "Just surrender?"

"I don't know what you want me to say! I don't have some magical answer for you. I can't help you and I certainly can't protect you. I don't know why you thought that I would."

"Becuase you were human once! You were a mother!"

Katherine's usual mask of indifference crumbled right before Elena's eyes. She could do nothing but watch with amazement as her cruel features softened into an almost staggeringly sad expression. Elena never really gave it a lot of thought until now but as those words left her mouth, the realization hit her like a freight train.

Once upon a time, Katherine Pierce was Katerina Petrova. She was just a girl. She was a beautiful, human girl with hopes and dreams for her future. She wanted to be somebody, wanted to be somebody's somebody. And before she even knew what was happening to her, it was all gone.

"You were a mother." Elena repeated the words like a soft echo as her heart broke for the cold and detached vampire in front of her. Her heart broke for the daughter she never got to hold, never got to know. It broke for the family she lost and the life she was unrightfully robbed of. Her heart broke for Katherine Pierce, for the girl she used to be. For Katerina Petrova. "Even if only for a short time, you were a mother."

Elena thought—hoped, that this could have been the big breakthrough that everyone had waited for. But just as quickly as the expression had come, it passed and Katherine's regular facade was firmly back in place.

"How sweet of you to point that little fact out for me. But your little spiel only works on someone who gives a damn." Katherine shook her head in disgust and with one last glance, made her way back to her car before turning on her heel and whirling around to face Elena again. "Does Damon even know that you're here?"

"Damon doesn't have to know everything." Elena's voice was smooth, a nice contrast to the whirlwind of guilt and anxiety swirling around her stomach. Damon made her feel safer and stronger and without him by her side, without him even knowing that she was doing this, she felt like she was betraying him in the worst way.

"Tsk, tsk, Elena." Katherine smirked. "Don't you know that healthy relationships are all about communication?"

"Like you would know anything about healthy relationships."

"Very true, however, I'm not the one lying to my husband."

"I'm not lying!" Elena argued.

Katherine simply rolled her eyes and sighed, clearly losing interest in the conversation once more. Even still, she couldn't resist an opportunity to shake Elena up, even if only a little bit. "You're lying by omission. Tell me, Elena. How would our sweet, sweet Damon feel about you coming to the Wicked Witch of the West for help?"

Hurt.

Betrayed.

Livid.

Elena tried to think about the look on Damon's face when he found out that not only did Elena go behind his back and seek out the help from the woman that tried to single-handedly ruin their lives on more than one occasion, but she put herself—and their baby in harms way.

"I think that he would understand why I'm doing this," Elena replied softly. "There isn't anything he wouldn't do for our family."

"Not your family, Elena. You."

"What?"

"Do you honestly think that he wants this baby if it means that he'll lose you in the process? He's had nearly two centuries to get used to the idea that he'll never be a father, never have a family." Katherine folded her arms across her chest and stalked menacingly towards Elena. "He would give that baby up in a second if it meant that he could keep you."

"No." Elena shook her head and backed away slowly, her hands protectively cradling her belly. "You're wrong, you don't know him like I do. He wants this baby, he loves this baby."

"I might not know Damon the way that you do or the way that I used to, but I'm not a complete moron. And I'm right about this. You know it and I know it."

"So what am I supposed to do?! Help me, please! Tell me what I can do!" Elena begged, tears in her eyes. "I don't know what to do but I need to do something. Please, help me. Help me save my family."

"There isn't anything you can do. Klaus knows you're pregnant. Hell, you were a vampire turned back into a human for the sole purpose of having this baby. You think Klaus is just gonna forget about it? He needs this baby for something, something bigger than you and me and bigger than anything any of us have ever seen. You can't stop this, Elena."

"I can try."

Maybe Katherine was right, maybe Elena couldn't stop this. But she'd fight like hell and try.

"What are you gonna do, Elena?" Katherine goaded as she stepped forward and towered over her pregnant doppelganger. "Huh? What's your plan? You're not me. You can't run, can't hide, can't fake your own death. You can't sacrifice yourself without putting your baby in danger and even if you could, Damon would never go for it."

Elena's head snapped up at her doppelganger's words. "What did you just say?"

"I said Damon would never go for it..." Katherine repeated with a roll of her eyes, annoyed and very much over this conversation.

"No, before that."

Katherine's brows furrowed together. "I said you can't run or hide or—"

"Fake my own death." Elena finished, eyes widening in realization. "And you're right, I can't fake my death but...I can fake my baby's death."

"What? You're—you're insane."

"No, think about it. Klaus can't sacrifice my family if there's no family to sacrifice. If he thinks my baby is dead then maybe that'll buy us some time until we can figure out a real, permanent solution."

"How the hell are you gonna pull that off? I don't know if you've heard, but you can't shed the baby weight until you've actually had the baby."

Elena took a deep breath and locked gazes with Katherine, a small smirk pulling at her lips. "Well then I guess it's a good thing that I have you to help me pull this off."

"Your pregnancy is making you more deluded than usual. Why wouldI help you?"

"Because I can help you get the one thing you've wanted all these years."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Your freedom."

* * *

><p><em><strong>please leave a review<br>you can follow me on twitter at somethinprettty  
><strong>_


	18. Flightless Bird, American Mouth

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! It's been quite a while since I've updated, far too long for my liking and I just wanted to give a big thank you to everyone so far who has reviewed, favorited, followed and supported me throughout this story. It truly means the world to me, and although I don't update as often as I'd like, I don't intend on giving up on this story without giving you guys, and the characters, the ending that you all deserve. Thank you for everything, and here's an update!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Have I found you?<br>**_**_Flightless bird, grounded, bleeding  
><em>****_Or lost you?_**

_Hey, it's Elena! Leave a message! Bye!"_

Damon let his hand fall to his sides, reluctantly hitting the _end_ button on the call that Elena didn't pick up—_again_. He'd left her over a two dozen messages since she left the house over four hours ago, but she hasn't bothered to return any one of them. Damon granted himself one hour of endless pacing before he called in reinforcements, asking if any of them had seen Elena.

Damon hoped that maybe Elena just needed a break and that maybe she headed over to Bonnie or Caroline's, but it quickly became apparent that no one had seen or heard from her all day and it wasn't long before literally _everyone_ Elena loved was at the Boarding House, anxious and waiting.

"She's seven months pregnant for God sakes and you just let her go off on her own? What the hell is wrong with you?" Bonnie snapped angrily, fury in her dark brown eyes.

Damon really was trying to stay calm, but with every minute that passed by without hearing from Elena or having her home safe and sound, was another minute that he was losing his grip on his control.

His mind kept taking him over every possible scenario, each one worse than the last. Images of cars going over bridges and stakes plunging through the soft flesh of her stomach, blood pouring out of wounds too big for her fragile human body...

"How could you let this happen?" Bonnie repeated darkly.

"I didn't _let_ this happen," Damon snapped. "You know as well as I do that no one _lets_ Elena do anything."

Elena was stubborn as a goat; her determination and hardheadedness stronger than a lot of things he'd seen in his long life. It was a quality that he both loved and hated about her and equal measure. If his wife was going toe to toe with him in an argument, her stubbornness was sexy as hell but if it was putting her in danger then he found it infuriating beyond belief.

But right now, he wasn't angry with Elena—actually, that was a lie. He was _infuriated_ with his wife, and when she got home he wasn't sure whether he'd kiss the hell out of her and cry with relief at her safety or yell at her for making him worry so damn much. Most of all, he was angry with himself.

He wished he kept his mouth shut; if he didn't say anything, Elena would be at home right now, safe and sound but ever since Sabrina showed up at Bonnie's baby shower, Damon and Elena had this whole 'honesty is the best policy' thing going on, and he suddenly resented the fact that his wife knew him so damn well and was able to pick up on the fact that something was off because if she didn't then he might have been able to delay dropping the bomb about their bleak future on her.

Of course, if he didn't tell her when he did, Elena would be furious with him and yell at him sooner or later by 'lying by omission', but at least she'd be safe and he'd deal with it—he always did, but if something was wrong and she was in danger or worse, that was something he wouldn't and couldn't deal with no matter how many lifetimes he lived.

Tired of pacing, he made his way over to the drink cart behind the couch and poured himself two fingers of bourbon, throwing it back and relishing in the way the liquid burned his throat.

"Yeah, that's good, why don't you just get drunk? It's not like Elena's nowhere to be found or anything—"

Damon knew from the very beginning that by marrying Elena, hell, just by getting involved with Elena, he would somehow, one way or another, be forever tied to her beloved friends and family that she held so dear to her heart. There was no way that he could be with her and not be thrown into this messed up Brady Bunch, Scooby Gang thing they had going on—and most of the time, it wasn't so bad.

Alaric was the only parental figure that Jeremy and Elena had, and he did a damn good job in guiding them when they needed it and being the father they didn't have anymore. He was also Damon's best friend, probably the only one in the entire group that was equally loyal to Damon _and_ Elena.

Then there was Little Gilbert; and although Damon snapped Jeremy's neck once upon a time, the two of them were on good terms—great terms, actually, much to Elena's delight. Other than Alaric, Damon was the only other male figure that's been consistent in his young life. At first, Damon thought it was weird when Jeremy started to confide in him about his personal life but "that's what brothers do" Jeremy said and that was that.

Caroline was in a league all of her own. She was annoying, bossy and controlling but for the most part Damon could handle her control-freak tendencies and neurotic personality and somewhere along the way, he had actually considered her a close friend. She was a pain in the ass almost one-hundred percent of the time, but she never failed to have Elena's back or make her smile when she needed it, and that put Caroline on Damon's good side.

Bonnie was another story. Other than the little bit of admiration he felt for her for the way she loved and supported his wife, he disliked her almost as much as she hated him. Damon could hang the moon for Elena and he still wouldn't get her stamp of approval.

Jeremy shook his head, warning her quietly, "Ease up, Bonnie."

Jeremy's soothing albeit warning voice reminded Damon of his wife. He could be in the worst mood and open his mouth to say the worst of things, but then his name would fall from her lips like a gentle caress and that alone would rein him in long enough to calm down.

Damon watched as Bonnie somewhat relaxed. Apparently Bonnie wasn't resilient to the Gilbert charm anymore than he was.

"I think we should go and get some air," Jeremy murmured softly, gently ushering Bonnie out the door.

Before she allowed herself to be led out of the house, she turned to Damon and said, "Everything bad that has ever happened to Elena is because of you. I know I said that I'd support her and I do. But I can't help but think that you are the worst thing that could have ever happened to her."

And with that, Bonnie allowed herself to be led out by her fiancé.

Caroline chose that moment to enter the living room, her eyes sad as she watched one of her best friends break down before her eyes. They'd all been through so much together in the time that they've been in each other's lives, and it would be nice if everything could just _stop_, even if only for a moment.

Surprisingly, she granted Damon a few minutes of peace and quiet before walking up to him and gently laying her hand on his shoulder, her voice unbelievably soft as she spoke. "She didn't mean any of those things that she said. She's going through a hard time right now, we all are. But you should know, she didn't mean it."

"It sure as hell sounded like she meant it," he argued, whirling around to face her. "Look, Bennett can kiss my ass and go straight to hell for all I care, but instead of patronizing me about what a terrible husband I am, the least she could do is shut her yap and make herself useful by I don't know, _helping_ me find Elena?"

"You're not."

"I'm not what, Blondie?" Damon sighed, tiredly.

"You said that you were a terrible husband, and you're not. You're a lot of things, Damon, _a lot_ of things but a terrible husband? No way. And Elena? She's the strongest person I know. She's scared out of her mind right now, but she'll get through this, just like she always does. It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than a threat from Satan himself to take our girl down."

Damon was by no means a fan of pep talks. Even when Elena gave them, he was resistant. But Caroline's voice was soft and gentle, her words real and true and he couldn't help but offer her a small smile in return for her kind words.

"Why are you so nice to me? After everything I've done, why would you even give me the time of day?"

Caroline cracked a smile of her own. "Well, at the risk of making things incredibly awkward, you're my friend. Look, you did what you did and it's done. But Elena is my very best friend, and she picked you. She chose to spend her life with you. I'm not saying that you get a free pass for all of the mistakes that you've made but, it is what it is. You're sorry and I think that's all anyone can ever be."

Damon offered her a small smile. "Thank you, Caroline. That means a lot," he replied quietly, thankful.

A few moments of silence passed before Caroline's beaming albeit sometimes annoyingly happy smile was back in place as she playfully nudged him in the side. "You know what just happened, don't you? We just had a moment."

For the first time since Elena's been gone, it felt like a little bit of weight had been taken off of his shoulders. His lips pulled into the tiniest smirk as he rolled his eyes warmly. "Yeah, well the moment's gone now, Blondie."

Caroline opened her mouth; probably to scold him but both their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Damon's phone ringing.

His hand flew to where it sat on the table and he looked at the screen, relief nearly knocking him over as it coursed through him relentlessly when he answered. "Elena," he breathed out, "Elena, I'm so sorry. I should have never sprung that on you like that. Fuck, I've been so worried about you. Where are you? Tell me where you are, and I'll come get you."

But it wasn't Elena's voice that responded—it was Sheriff Forbes replying sadly, "Damon, its Liz. There's been an accident."

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><p>thank you for reading, please leave a review.<p> 


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